Absolutely Necessary
by valsolo
Summary: Post NJO--Jaina Solo and Kyp Durron moved on with their seperate lives at the end of the Vong War. Five years later, they are reunited to find that what they have together is 'Absolutely Necessary'.
1. Default Chapter

Title: **Absolutely Necessary**  
  
Author: val solo  
  
Time Frame: Approximately 5-6 years post NJO  
  
Main Characters: Jaina Solo/ Kyp Durron  
  
Genre: Romance/ Drama/ Adventure

Disclaimer: I own nothing but am simply playing around in the universe created by George Lucas and other SW authors. :)

* * *

_Prologue  
_  
It simply _had_ to be done.  
  
It was all his fault anyway. He was only getting what he deserved. Stubborn, thickheaded _man_! The blasted fool had left me no other choice. Well, then...so be it.  
  
I glanced again at my chrono and mentally ran through the steps to my fail-safe plan for the hundredth time. By now the message would have reached him, and, knowing his unquenchable curiosity, he would definitely show. In fact, he wouldn't be able to _resist_ coming. I felt my lips curve into a deliriously devilish grin. Was it wrong to be enjoying this? While it was maybe just a little wrong—and somewhat _illegal_—there was nothing else that I could do.  
  
I took a deep breath of the chill nighttime air. It was just brisk enough to tingle as it filled my lungs and would do well to keep me alert. It was absolutely necessary things go exactly according to my plan. There could be no slip-ups, no hesitations when the time came to make my move. If this was going to work, I had to be at my best.  
  
The moon was only half full, just as I had planned. Well, okay, I couldn't really control the phases of the moon, but it did happen to fit perfectly with the rest of my ideas for this nefarious scheme. It gave me just enough light to see by, but not so much that my purpose would be revealed prematurely. Also, the predicted rain had held off, granting me the opportunity to complete my task unhindered.  
  
If I didn't know better, I'd swear the Force was working with me on this.  
  
And maybe it was.  
  
I glanced back up at the sprawling manor house before me. The gardens were the perfect vantage point for watching the comings and goings, and right now I was very interested in a certain someone coming--- _and_ going with me.  
  
Another look over my shoulder assured me that my cohorts were ready and just as anxious to get this show on the road as I was. "Just a few more minutes, guys," I whispered, my confidence surprising even me. They, however, didn't even notice the blatant arrogance I was displaying, but that was to be expected. No bother. I was proud of myself for taking this bold step. The man should have learned by now that I was not a woman to be trifled with, and if he hadn't learned it yet, well, then, he was about to have his first lesson.  
  
Another smile tugged at my lips. He was coming. I could _feel_ it...feel the overwhelming brightness in the Force that was his personal, and very powerful, signature. It never failed to astound me each time I experienced it; however, I recalled with amusement how it really never frightened me as it did so many others. No, instead, it sent fingers of sweet anticipation up and down my spine because I knew how unpredictable he was and how I could never quite guess exactly what he would do or say.  
  
And that's what I liked...what I was hoping for. He was a worthy prey for this predator.  
  
"Game on," I muttered to myself, patting the small blaster slung on my hip. I was ready.  
  
I flattened my back against the stone wall in the garden and waited, my breathing pounding in rhythm with each step he took as he drew near. I had my shields up so that he wouldn't sense me until it was too late. Couldn't have him escaping, not after all of this hard work. I licked my lips in anticipation and felt a bead of sweat trickle down my back.  
  
Then I saw him. He stepped into the small clearing and paused to cautiously survey his surroundings. His dark cape swirled as he turned making him look dangerous...and he _was_ dangerous...dangerous to me _and_ to himself, which was why I was here doing what I was doing. I could just make out the features of his face in the faint moonlight and knew the moment he noticed my presence. He snapped around and glared in my direction, although I know he was unable to see me in the darkness of my hiding place.  
  
"Jaina?" he asked taking a few steps closer. "Is that you?"  
  
I took one last breath to reaffirm my convictions in this mission and stepped out of the dark.  
  
"It's me," I stated simply.  
  
He glanced at me in surprise and relief. "What are you doing here? Did you send that message?"  
  
I had to play it cool. "Yes, I sent it, and I could ask you the same question. What are _you_ doing here?" I gestured with my head in the direction of the house and kept a calm and indifferent expression on my face while I waited for his answer.  
  
Unfortunately, he knew me just as well as I knew him.  
  
"What's going on, Jaina?" he tried again. This time I simply stayed silent and slowly began to circle him.  
  
He snorted and turned to watch me, a veil of coolness clouding his eyes. "I thought we said all we needed to say to each other already."  
  
Again, I did not speak only stared back at him. He may have said all _he_ wanted to say...but I hadn't even begun.  
  
"There's not any emergency, is there?" he said, his dark gaze locked with mine. "No reason for this little meeting at all." He hung his head, sighed in defeat, and loosened his stance, his attention momentarily diverted from me.  
  
And that's when I shot him.  
  
The look of pure shock on his face was priceless... eyes and mouth gaping wide open still refusing to believe what was happening. It only took a moment for him to crumple to the ground and I casually strode over and glared down at his disbelieving face.  
  
"Sorry, Kyp," I said without an ounce of remorse in my voice, "but this is _absolutely necessary_."

* * *

To be continued.....


	2. Chapter One

**_Absolutely Necessary_** ---Chapter One

* * *

_Two months earlier....  
  
_I was torn.  
  
Part of me was anxious to see Kyp again after all of these years. It had been nearly five since I'd last seen him face to face. During the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, he'd played such an important part in my life. More than just a friend or a mentor, and not exactly like a brother or uncle. No, the relationship we had could not have been labeled as any one thing. It was too encompassing to place such limits on what we shared.  
  
However, there were boundaries between us...lines neither one of us would dare cross, and with good reason. I was so young, still in the process of becoming a woman and figuring out what I wanted out of life. He was older, already a man, but in many ways still finding out what kind of man he was and what he wanted to be. And so that's how it had gone. Every so often, one of us might accidentally step a toe over that line and press for something more, but we'd instantly retreat back to the safety of our respective corners and keep it from becoming something neither one of us was quite ready for. At the time, I had someone to keep me company in my corner—Jagged Fel. But Kyp...well, he had no one.  
  
And so I was torn...eager to see him, yet ashamed it had taken so long for me to make the effort.  
  
My pace down the long corridor slowed and I felt a knot form in my throat. Kyp had deserved more than that...especially after our last meeting. It wasn't long after the end of the Vong War. All the major battles were over, Jacen was already off on his quest to find new Force users, Danni and Tahiri sailing somewhere across the galaxy on Zonama Sekot, and Mom and Dad trying to settle into their retirement.  
  
I had promised to meet Kyp for a long overdue dinner between friends to catch up. We were both shipping out the next morning—him to negotiate some new treaties with a few other members of the Jedi Council, and I was flying with _Rogue Squadron_ to deal with a nasty little pocket of Vong resistance fighters. I still remember his aggravated expression when I arrived late only to tell him I had to leave early. Jag had shown up unexpectedly at my door the hour before and I, of course, couldn't wait to get back to him. He was, after all, the love of my life—or so I had thought.  
  
Kyp's jaw clenched and he looked away from me for a second. "Go on, Jaina. In fact, go now," he had said. "Mustn't keep Fel waiting." He smiled teasingly when he said it, but I could sense the hint of anger lurking behind the words. For some reason, it irked me like only he can do.  
  
I stood up from the table and flared my nostrils. "Fine. If you're going to be that way, I will. He'll obviously be much better company than you tonight."  
  
"Obviously," he said coolly, taking a casual sip from his glass and flicking that eyebrow up smugly in his '_I-don't-care'_ expression.  
  
I hated when he got like this. His relationship with Jag had always been strained—Kyp grudgingly ceding to Jag's position as my significant other, although he thought him unworthy, and Jag's continued suspicion that the Jedi master secretly harbored more than innocent intentions toward me. Whenever either of them brought up the issues, I quickly shut them up, not willing or ready to face any of the implications.  
  
I stared at him, my hands clenching and unclenching into fists at my sides, willing my tongue to come up with some witty retort, but nothing came to mind. Only Kyp Durron could rile me to the point of speechlessness.  
  
"Good night, Kyp," I said finally, realizing I wouldn't win this time. "I'll see you when I get back." Then I turned and left him sitting all alone.  
  
That was the last time I'd seen him. I wasn't proud of my actions now that I thought back on the memory. Unfortunately, it had taken nearly five years to realize what an idiot I was for treating a friend so carelessly...which is why I had to face him now regardless of my shame. I forced myself to pick up the pace and continued thinking.  
  
_Kyp Durron._ No longer one of the most detested names in the galaxy. The war had seen to that. It had made heroes out of many, and yet still so many more deserved the title. Kyp definitely did. Now, as a respected member of the council, he was helping to rebuild worlds instead of destroying them. I had kept tabs on him even though I hadn't seen him for five years. By piecing together reports from the Holonet and from Uncle Luke, I had managed to keep track of the career of my best friend I had somehow lost along the way.  
  
I hoped that would change. I_ needed_ him back in my life. I knew that now. I was counting on him feeling the same way.  
  
Finally, I saw his office at the end of the long corridor. I walked up to a small desk occupied by a young man, even younger than me, I guessed...fairly attractive with reddish-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I assumed he was Kyp's personal assistant. He glanced up and smiled, and I noticed a few freckles sprinkled across his nose. Wow. He was young, and I was definitely getting older just for noticing. I'd be reaching thirty in a few years and it was forcing me to reevaluate my life. That's exactly what I'd been doing for the past year.  
  
And it had led me _here_.  
  
"May I help you?" he asked politely.  
  
"Yes, I'm here to see Master Durron."  
  
The young man looked down and punched a few buttons on his data terminal. "Did you have an appointment?" he asked quizzically.  
  
"No, no I didn't." I put on my best innocent damsel-in-distress face, ironically taught to me by my father, and asked, "Is that a problem?"  
  
He glanced back up and I batted my big brown eyes several times—a trick my mother had taught me—and silently willed him to answer.  
  
"Um, no. I don't think it will be a problem," he said with another smile. "Master Durron doesn't have any more appointments scheduled for this afternoon, so if you'll just give me your name, I'll let him know you're here."  
  
"You don't need to know my name," I stated with a slight wave of my hand.  
  
"I don't need to know your name," he repeated word for word. Weak minded, eh? I filed that little tidbit away for future reference.  
  
"Just tell him an old friend is here to see him," I said casually as I took a seat in the small waiting area.  
  
He nodded his head and commed into Kyp's office. I tried to hear Kyp's reply, but couldn't. However, I could feel him behind those closed doors. I could always feel him, and how could I not? He was like some massive supernova in the Force, only this time his presence felt more subdued and controlled. I didn't have much time to ponder what that might mean because at that moment, his office door slid open and out he came.  
  
But he wasn't alone.  
  
A woman was right beside him, but he quickly stepped aside to allow her to exit first. My gaze skimmed over her quickly---tall...blonde...and _hanging on his arm_! I felt my nostrils flare as I rose from my chair. They hadn't spotted me yet, so I took the chance to quench this unexplainable heat that flared within me.  
  
"Oh, Kyp, darling, you simply must come back to spend another weekend with me in the country," she purred, squeezing his arm even tighter against her chest, which was nearly popping out of her unnecessarily low-cut dress. "You work too hard and need a break. You know you would enjoy yourself," she added suggestively, looking up at him from beneath her insanely long lashes.  
  
They had to be fake.  
  
_'Take a deep breath, Jaina,'_ I told myself. What had I expected anyway? That he'd be alone, as usual, just waiting for the day I'd come back and admit I was wrong about us...that maybe I really did want more than a friendship? Apparently, if my guess was right, Kyp had not been sitting around pining away for my companionship.  
  
Kyp smiled and reached a hand up to brush her cheek. "Li'andra, you know that rebuilding a galaxy takes a lot of time. I'm not sure when I'll get to—"  
  
Then he saw me.  
  
"_Jaina_?" he said in whisper, instantly dropping her arm and taking a few steps toward me. Little Miss 'Come-away-with-me-Kyp' seemed very put out by his actions. I myself was unbelievably pleased beyond measure.  
  
"Hello, Kyp," I replied quietly with a hesitant smile, still not totally sure how he would react. Relief surged through me when he grinned from ear to ear. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of me, both of my hands gripped firmly in his, dark eyes staring into mine...  
  
...and something inside me snapped. A certainty ground itself firmly into my heart and mind, leaving no room for anymore doubts. I impulsively leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him—not on the lips, but on that special place located somewhere between the corner of your mouth and your cheek. It was a kiss that was mysterious enough to make him wonder just what it meant. Why did I do it? I was happy to see him, of course, but maybe... maybe I was staking my claim. I had known him first, after all.  
  
Kyp seemed oblivious to my intention, but not Blondie. Maybe it's a _'woman thing'_, as my dad calls it, but our eyes met and she instantly knew why I was here. Funny how it had taken me so long to figure it out for myself.  
  
Kyp didn't let go of my hands, and was absent-mindedly rubbing circles on them with his thumbs. "I can't believe you're here," he exclaimed shaking his head. "It's been so long. How are you doing? Everything okay?"  
  
I could have kissed him again for being so attentive, but I didn't. One step at a time. "I'm fine. Everything's good," I said. _'Now that I'm here with you,_' I added silently. And somehow, just seeing him, being with him, _did _make everything good.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, refusing to let go of my hands, much to my satisfaction.  
  
"Uncle Luke summoned me here for the next Council meeting. He hasn't told me why, but I wanted to come see you." Could he tell how much I meant that?  
  
He chuckled and squeezed my hands. "Well, it's great to see you! I'm glad you're here."  
  
"Ahem," came the feminine intrusion. She stepped up alongside Kyp who suddenly remembered we weren't alone. "Aren't you going to tell me who your little friend is, Kyp?" _**'Little**_ friend'?? The syrupy sweet smile on her too pretty face begged me to wipe it off--- with my fist..._hard_.  
  
"Forgive me," Kyp apologized, letting my hands go. "Jaina, this is Lady Li'andra S'ynclair. And Li'andra, this is Jaina Solo," he motioned back to me with another warm smile, "a _very_ dear friend of mine."  
  
Maybe I was imagining it, but the way he said _'very dear'_ added tinder to the spark of hope already kindling inside me.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Solo," she said offering me her hand as a royal might do to her subjects. I grabbed it and shook, adding a bit more pressure than I should have.  
  
"Thank you," I said, looking her boldly in the eye without returning the same sentiment she had offered. I wondered if Kyp noticed, but I knew that she did. I could tell by the malicious glint in her pale blue eyes that she had gotten my message loud and clear...and took it as a challenge.  
  
Again, she latched onto his arm. "Is she the _little girl_ you said you apprenticed during the war?" she asked him innocently. Yeah, innocent my foot!  
  
"Kyp and I have been close ever since he tracked down my husband's killer a few years ago," she continued.  
  
Kyp jumped in to elaborate, appearing a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Li'andra's husband was a very influential Senator. A group of rebels from their home planet had ordered a hit on..." Kyp kept talking, but I wasn't listening. I just wanted to look at him.  
  
He looked pretty much the same as the last time I'd seen him, except for his hair. It was shorter than it used to be---still not as short as Dad's or Uncle Luke's, but he probably couldn't tie it back like he used to. There were a few more streaks of gray at his temples, but not as many as I had expected to see. It was still fairly dark and so thick that I wanted suddenly to reach up and brush that unruly lock off his forehead and then plunge my fingers through the rest of those silken waves.  
  
His jaw was still square, nose still a tiny bit too big, and his lips... Here I ceased my wandering eye for a moment and simply watched those full, tempting lips as he rambled on about _what's-her-face_. I threw in a few nods and a couple of _'Oh, really's'_ to feign interest, but all too soon he stopped talking.  
  
"Yes, well, needless to say, I am so..._appreciative_ of all Kyp has done for me," she said evocatively. "We were just discussing his decision to come away with me for a while so I can..._repay his kindness_."  
  
I wanted to gag. She was so transparent that I bit my tongue to keep from laughing in her face. Did he seriously like this woman's company? Even he must have realized how absurd she sounded, for I noticed a faint blush creep onto his cheeks.  
  
"Oh, is that so?" I replied with a raised eyebrow aimed at Kyp. He glanced at me and I could tell he was praying I wouldn't say anything more. "Kyp, if this is a bad time, I can leave," I said.  
  
"No!" he said immediately. "No, don't go. I'd like to see you. Besides, Li'andra was just leaving."  
  
Yay!! Point for me! She defeatedly slid her arm from his and straightened her skirts. "Yes, I must be going. It was nice to meet you, Jaina," she said through gritted teeth. Then she turned to Kyp. "And I'll be seeing you soon, Kyp dear. My offer is still on the table." She reached over and kissed his cheek seductively before offering me a phony grin and walking down the hall.  
  
"Well," I said turning to look at him, "that was interesting."  
  
Kyp chuckled and shrugged. "Yeah, Li'andra's one of a kind."  
  
I didn't want to think about what he meant by that, and luckily didn't have time to because he quickly ushered me into his office, a warm hand on the small of my back urging me forward. "Hold all my calls, Mikel," he instructed his aide. Then he shut the door behind us and led me to a sofa. "Have a seat," he said. I did and he sat down right next to me, our knees nearly touching but not quite. A few seconds of gazing around the office assured me that he hadn't changed too much. It was decorated simply, nothing fancy or elaborate, but all of the furnishings and colors were very bold and masculine...just like Kyp.  
  
"I still can't believe you're here," he declared again staring at me with a huge grin.  
  
"Me neither, but...here I am," I said lamely. "Your office is lovely."  
  
"Ah, _lovely_...just the look I was going for," he teased.  
  
"Stop it! You know what I meant," I scolded playfully. "It's very..._you_."  
  
He sighed and took a look around. "I spend a lot of time here, so I decided to do it up right. This sofa even turns into a bed for those nights when I don't make it home," he added with a pat on the cushion between us.  
  
My eyebrows perked up. Did any of those nights include a certain busty blonde? I bit back a growl at the mere thought and quickly stood back up. His expression was one of confusion.  
  
"Um, so how have you been?" I asked, starting a tour around his office, nonchalantly searching for clues to his relationship with this Li'andra person. I don't know what I expected to find, but it eased my anxiety if I was up moving around.  
  
Kyp watched me from his perch on the couch, and I glanced back at him every few seconds just to make sure he was still there and not just a vision that would soon disappear. I'd been imagining how this day would play out for weeks now, ever since Uncle Luke sent for me. When I realized I would have the chance to see Kyp again and make amends for being such a crummy friend, I started rehearsing how our meeting would go. Which, in retrospect, was a huge waste of time since Miss Lady Li'andra had already ruined things by not playing by the rules. Sithspit, she wasn't even in the script!  
  
"I can't complain," he said casually, ever the enigma. "I am surprised to see you. Luke didn't tell me you were coming."  
  
"I asked him not to," I replied. I stopped by his large window that overlooked the huge cityscape of Denon and smiled at him. "I wanted it to be a surprise."  
  
He smiled back and then walked over to join me. "It's a surprise all right...but a good one," he added quickly. A few seconds of awkward silence passed between us, unusual because we had always felt comfortable being together without speaking in the past. I looked out the window again but could feel his eyes studying me intently.  
  
"Jaina, you...you look _great_," he said quietly, and my heart soared. I had taken a bit of extra time on myself before coming. Apparently it had paid off. And I knew that I was fairly easy on the eyes...not a ravishing beauty, but lucky enough to be passable as attractive. I kept my body in shape and knew that it had filled out as I came into womanhood. Those extra 'peacetime pounds', as I called them, had all settled into the right places, rounding me out quite nicely. I wasn't a little girl anymore—that was for sure.  
  
"You do too," I said feeling brave. "And I love the hair," I added, reaching up to touch the edge that hung just above his collar.  
  
He blushed again. "Yeah, well, I figured it was time to make myself a bit more respectable looking now that I'm on the council. It was difficult to part with those extra inches, though. They'd been with me for a long time."  
  
We both laughed and then came the silence again. And again, Kyp broke it. "Hey, are you hungry? I was just going to get dinner. Would you like to come with me? My treat."  
  
My script was back on track.  
  
"Sure. I'd love to."

* * *

Dinner was excellent.  
  
He took me to a wonderful little Corellian place...great food, relaxing music, even candlelight. We talked about what we had each been doing since the war and inevitably the conversation turned to the past.  
  
He turned pensive and stared into his glass at the swirling contents. "Do you remember the last time we had dinner together?" he asked, and I cringed. Force yes, I remembered. I was just hoping that he _wouldn't_.  
  
"Yeah," I said softly. "It was the last time I saw you."  
  
"That's right. And if I remember correctly, you ditched me to go off with Fel. How is he, by the way? Are you two married yet?" Ah--- there was the arrogant Kyp I knew.  
  
"No, we're not married," I explained, "and I don't know how he is. I haven't seen him for almost a year." The pain of that failed relationship had faded to a dull ache by this time, but the reminder still managed to sober me instantly.  
  
Kyp set his glass down and leaned his elbows on the table. "Sorry, Jaina," he said. "I should have been more tactful."  
  
"No, it's okay really," I assured him. "It was bound to happen. Those long distance relationships don't ever work out. And Jag didn't really want me...at least not the way I am."  
  
"I always knew he wasn't good enough for you," Kyp added with a wink, trying to lighten the mood. And it worked.  
  
"What about you?" I countered. "You're not secretly married, are you? What about _Lady Li'andra_?" I asked, annunciating her name with the same irritating accent she used. I sounded like I was teasing, but my ulterior motive was to get to the bottom of this woman's place in Kyp's life. She was clearly interested in him. Now I just needed to know how much of that interest was returned.  
  
He chuckled, took another sip of his drink, and looked back up. "Me, married? You know better than that, Goddess." The mention of my old nickname made my stomach flutter when it came from him. I felt my pulse quicken and hoped he didn't notice. "No, Li'andra is a good friend." At this, I snorted irreverently and he stared at me with a knowing smirk. "Jealous?"  
  
"You wish," I answered, when what I really meant was '_Hell, yes_!'  
  
"That's what I thought," he muttered. "She's really not so bad." We were back to her again. Oh, joy. My turn to drink.  
  
"She seems rather..._fond_ of you," I ventured.  
  
At this he laughed out loud, that deep, rumbling masculine laugh that was rare coming from him, and ran a hand back through his dark hair. "Yes...that's one way to put it." Another vague comment. The agony was killing me! I had to change the subject.  
  
"I'm glad I caught you at your office," I admitted. "I really wanted to get a chance to talk to you and...apologize."  
  
He was curious now. I could tell by the look on his face. "Apologize? For what?" he asked.  
  
Here was my chance...my opportunity to mend our friendship, which was only my first goal. I had a whole list.  
  
"For ditching you that night, as you so plainly put it. And for not seeing you again for so long. It was very wrong of me to let so much time pass without seeking you out."  
  
Kyp was truly surprised. "That's okay. You don't owe me anything, Jaina," he said reaching across the table and taking my small hand in his large one.  
  
I nodded my head vehemently. "Yes, Kyp. Yes, I do owe you something, starting with my life—several times over. You did so much for me...after Anakin died and then all during the war. You were always there right by my side even when I was too obnoxious with my little goddess self."  
  
He laughed and squeezed my hand. "You could get pretty annoying, if I remember correctly. But what I did wasn't anything any other friend wouldn't have done."  
  
"You're wrong. You're the only one who made the effort. And I was an unappreciative jerk. You deserved to be treated better, and I...I hope you'll forgive me and be my friend again." There. It was out, and I sighed in relief. Now to wait for his response.  
  
He pulled his hand from mine and leaned back in his chair. "Wow. I wasn't expecting an apology for something that happened so long ago. Jaina, I don't hold any of that against you. It was a tough time. You were still a kid and I was just this older guy that helped you out every once in a while. I didn't expect anything in return."  
  
"Well, you deserved more, and I am so sorry." I reached out my hand again and he accepted the invitation, placing his back in mine. Our eyes locked and I turned bold. "And, Kyp?"  
  
"Hmm?" he mumbled.  
  
"I'm not a kid anymore."

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter Two

**_Chapter Two_**

I was dead.

Or at least I _felt_ like it. My head was ready to explode, and the searing pain in my chest had me groaning in agony.

"Good. You're awake."

I opened my eyes to see a blurry image hovering over me, and even though I couldn't see clearly yet, I knew exactly who it was.

"Jaina," I rasped...and then it all came flooding back to me. I bolted up quickly only to have the pain shoot right through the rest of my body.

"Whoa...take it easy, Kyp," she said placing her small hands on my bare chest to steady me and ease me back down on the bed. "Let me see that burn," she instructed as she began tenderly touching my hot skin. Didn't remember when my shirt came off...but I _did_ remember something.

"You—you _**shot**_ me!" I yelled pushing her hand away forcefully and nearly passed out from the excruciating pain in my head.

"Will you settle down. It was only a stun blast," she explained calmly like it was no big deal. Then she moved to resume her nursing duties.

My vision was clearing and I blinked a few times to finish the job. "_Only_ a stun blast?! Are you _nuts_?! What the _hell_ were you thinking?!" I slapped a hand to my aching head again and groaned. I really needed to stop shouting for my own good, but her nonchalance about this whole shooting thing was really ticking me off.

She carefully applied a bacta patch to the stun burn on my chest and the added pain reliever immediately went to work. While she put her supplies away, I began to relax and leaned back on the propped up pillows.

"It was for your own good, Kyp. I saved you from making a big mistake." She returned to my bedside and smiled sweetly. "Trust me. You'll thank me for this later. Here. Drink this." She placed a cup of something cold and liquid in my hands and like a fool I drank it down without asking what it was.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "What big mistake? And where are you taking me?" I took a look around and knew we were on Jaina's ship, the _Jedi Sabre_, and I could tell we were moving through hyperspace, but I had not a clue where we might be headed.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So many questions," she remarked in a motherly tone pulling the thin blanket back up over me. "Surely you know what I was saving you from---or should I say _whom_ I was saving you from?" I noticed a flash of utter disgust in her eyes, but she quickly shrugged it off. "Anyway, you don't need to worry about where we're going just yet. What you need right now is to lie back and get some rest. Let that bacta patch work its magic, and then...we'll have a nice, long talk."

The woman was treating me like a child, and I was too stunned to fight back. Or maybe it was whatever she slipped into that drink. Then she did something even more unexpected. She kissed me...one of those slow, delectable kisses that sends your senses into instant overload and thrusts every other thought straight out of your mind, and I couldn't help but kiss right back. My mind was definitely _not_ on our destination, and she knew it...knew exactly what she was doing.

After a few more seconds of her tantalizing lips tasting mine, she slowly pulled away and moaned. "Mmmm...that was nice," she whispered in a husky breath.

And like an idiot, I just sat there and watched her as she licked her sweet, seductive lips, not sure whether to throttle her or throw her down and...well, you get the picture. Sweet Force! What was this woman doing to me?

Finally, I was able to form words.

"I take it _that_ was necessary, too?" I said, trying to sound angry, but failing miserably. I squinted my eyes and tried to focus. Surely there weren't two of her? No, it had to be the meds.

Her face broke into the famous Solo grin as she leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "_Absolutely_."

I gulped and fought back the urge to grab her again. That look in her eyes was dangerous, I knew, but I had never seen that particular brand of intensity directed at me.

"Don't worry, Kyp. I'm going to take _real_ good care of you," she promised with a little tap on the tip of my nose. Next, she patted my shoulder and then walked to the door, turning to add a warning. "So don't bother trying to open the door. It'll be locked." The door slid shut just as she smiled and offered a little wave.

I fought against the dizziness in my head and leaned back to stare up at the ceiling. What in the world was going on? Jaina Solo was the only person alive who was capable of so completely confounding me, and right now I was so clueless it wasn't funny. With a sigh, I tried to remember how it had all gone so horribly wrong. I mean, a woman doesn't just shoot a guy, hijack him to Force knows where, and then kiss his lips off... does she? I was no expert on females, but I didn't think that was the typical procedure.

But then Jaina was _not_ a typical woman. I chuckled and shook my head. That was an understatement. Her unpredictability was one of the things that had drawn me to her all those years ago. Even as a kid, I'd been impressed with her straight-forward, practical approach to life. You never had to wonder what she was thinking since she was happy to share her opinion whether you wanted to hear it or not.

Well...except for now. I would have given anything to know what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

As Jaina got older, some people thought her a bit arrogant and brash. I simply saw a girl who was comfortable with herself and confident enough to say and take exactly what she wanted. Her flying ability was so unbelievably advanced that after seeing her fly _Lando's Folly_, I immediately offered her a place in my Dozen. She'd turned me down, as I assumed she would, but I liked her. She was a cute kid, a bit of a tomboy, but she was all about action and I could appreciate that.

Then when she tracked me down at Luke's request early in the Vong War, I started to see her a bit differently. The minute she jumped down out of her X-wing all rumpled in her flight suit, I realized she wasn't a little girl anymore. Oh, she was still totally off limits, mind you. Han Solo would have torn me limb from limb, but I couldn't help but admire the young woman she was blossoming into. Deceiving her about the worldship had nearly killed me. Seeing the look on her face when she realized what we'd really done...I deserved more than just the slap she gave me. It took all my restraint not to fall at her feet and beg her forgiveness.

But I was Kyp Durron. I didn't beg.

Somehow we managed to work out our differences and become the closest of friends...well, not the closest seeing as how we never took a step in the romance department. That thought flitted across my mind for all of about five seconds before I accepted that my role in her life was not the part of the hero lover. No, I was more like the faithful sidekick, and although it sometimes irked me to see her making goo-goo eyes at Jagged Fel, I got over it and learned to content myself with just being her friend.

And we had made a good team. Our relationship was one of the few true friendships I had ever had. Most of my life I'd been a bit of a loner. It seems I don't make friends too easily. Enemies...now _that's_ no problem, but I have difficulty letting people get too close. Result of my chaotic childhood, I suppose, but Jaina saw past that. She accepted me for who I was---flaws and all. Of course, she was prone to point them out a little too often for my liking, but that was okay because I did the same for her. It was a give and take, but the problem was that I wanted to give and take more than she did.

So when she didn't contact me at all after that fated last dinner where she dumped me for Jag, I took it as a sign from the Force to move on with my life. Of course, it had taken almost a year for me to quit hoping for a message from her or to stop expecting her to just show up at my door right out of the blue.

But that's exactly what she had done.

I had been so shocked that I had forgotten Li'andra was even standing right beside me. She hadn't been happy about that in the least, but I couldn't help it. Seeing Jaina was...well, I can't really describe how it made me feel. Memories came flooding back, good and bad, but mostly I was just so unbelievably happy to see her standing in front of me. Such an important person had just walked back into my life, so how could I not be pleased?

We'd gone to dinner and talked about old times, and then suddenly she turned all serious and apologized. Jaina Solo _apologized_...to _me_...for treating me so awful and not seeing me for nearly five years. It was unexpectedly pleasant to have her there saying things I had longed to hear, and then to have her ask me to forgive her and be her friend again was just the icing on the cake. I had never stopped needing Jaina in my life.

Later, I volunteered to walk her back to her room. Denon was a very busy metropolis, almost as bad as old Coruscant had been, and an attractive young woman did not need to be out alone at night. She readily accepted and we soon found ourselves at her door.

"Thanks for dinner, Kyp," she said looking up at me with those big brown eyes. "It was great."

"You're very welcome," I replied with a slight bow. "And you're right. It _was_ great."

A few seconds of awkward silence descended upon us, which was unusual in the past, but since her return a few hours earlier had become strangely common.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at the Council meeting."

"Yeah, I'll be there with bells on," she said with a smile, and again the silence came.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go now," I said turning to leave, but a gentle hand on my arm stopped me.

"Kyp?" she said shyly.

"Yeah?"

"I really am sorry and I really have missed you," she confessed and then slid her arms around me to envelop me in a snug embrace. My arms dangled clumsily for a few seconds before wrapping around her petite frame. I wasn't used to much physical affection, especially coming from Jaina, so it took me a moment to relax into the position. But when I did, it felt really...satisfying. The top of her head fit perfectly underneath my chin, and so I rested it there.

"I've missed you, too, Jaina," I admitted, placing a quick kiss on her sweet-smelling hair. "And you don't have to keep apologizing. We're friends," I explained pulling back so I could look her in the face, "and I never stopped being yours."

The smile she graced me with and the unfamiliar look in her eyes should have been a warning, I suppose, looking back on it now, but at that moment I was simply happy having Jaina back in my life. I didn't think about any of the complications. In fact, I had no idea my life was about to take a walk on the wild side.

* * *

Luke Skywalker was not what he appeared, and I knew it.

On the surface, one might think he was shy, uncultured, and slightly ignorant. That front had served him well many times, but I knew him better than that. Oh, he was all of those things to a degree, and yet he was so much more. The inner workings of his mind baffled me. There wasn't a malicious bone in his body, which had bothered me during the war. However, now that I was getting older, I understood his reluctance to jump into battle without fully weighing all of the consequences first. Luke Skywalker always looked before he leaped.

And that is exactly why I knew he had finally lost his mind.

"You want me to _what_?" I exclaimed as I looked in shock at Luke and the other ten members of the Jedi Council as they stared back from their seats around the circular table. Jaina was also present and seated next to me, and I could feel through the Force her surprise reflecting my own.

I thought I saw a hint of amusement light in Luke's eyes, but he quelled it and steepled his fingers on the table in front of him.

"I want you to take over my position on the Council," he stated plainly, as if that were the most natural utterance to ever roll of his tongue.

"That's what I thought you said," I mumbled, and I heard Jaina stifling a chuckle next to me. I looked boldly at Luke and demanded, "Is this some kind of joke, Master Skywalker?"

Now Luke did laugh and shook his head. "No, Kyp. It's not a joke. The other members and I have discussed it at length and agreed that it should be you."

Wait...they had discussed it?...at l_ength_?...without me around? When had they done that?

"I'm sorry, Luke," I said reverting back to the familiarity of his first name, "but I just don't understand. You are the head of this Council."

Luke sighed and leaned back in his chair. Only then did I realize how old and worn he looked. Jaina had mentioned it at dinner the night before and expressed her sincere concern over her uncle. In the past few years since the war, he had grown almost frail and looked as old, if not older, than Han Solo. She and I both agreed that his war wound must be to blame for his rapid decline, those Yuuzhan Vong toxins still lurking within his body wreaking havoc. However, I hadn't really noticed it much since I saw him so often. Jaina, not immune to the gradual change in her uncle's appearance, confessed that she had been shocked when he greeted her at the spaceport upon her arrival on Denon.

"Kyp, I've dreamt of this Council since I was very young in the Force. Seeing it become a reality has been beyond my wildest imaginations, but I simply cannot continue on as I have been. I'm not able to." He paused for a moment before continuing on and I could feel the fear emanating from Jaina. "My illness has progressed more rapidly than I had hoped, and I find myself wanting to slow it down if at all possible. Mara and I have talked and the best way for that to happen is to cut back on my Council involvement. Oh, I'll still be around to consult and help out when I can, but the day to day activities are becoming too much of a strain. Maybe it's a bit selfish, but I'd like to see Ben grow up."

Many of the Council members shook their heads in understanding and I found myself doing the same. Even though I had no family, I understood its importance more than most having lost mine so long ago.

Luke began speaking again. "So, Kyp, I am offering my position to you."

"But why me?" I asked. "So many others are much more qualified and deserving." I looked around and noticed Cilghal and Kenth...both two very capable Jedi who were also much more respected than me.

"Yours is not to question why," Luke added lightly. "You are very qualified. You're a powerful Jedi, a born leader, and you have the experience of having survived the Dark Side. You've learned much and grown in your understanding of the Force more than I once thought possible. You have more than proven your qualifications for this position, Kyp. Have a little faith in the Force, would you?...and in yourself."

I was speechless. I had been ecstatic just to be offered a spot on the Council but had never dared dream that I would one day be the leader. It was mind-blowing.

"Kyp?" Jaina whispered, nudging my side with her elbow. I looked at her and she gestured for me to answer.

Luke smiled and suddenly looked boyish again. "So, will you do it? Will you head up the Council?"

I turned and looked at Jaina who was beaming at me with pride in her eyes. Knowing she approved sent a bolt of confidence through me and I felt my back straighten.

"Yes," I answered. "I accept your offer, Master Skywalker, and I am very grateful for everyone's vote of confidence. I will do my best to live up to your expectations and prove worthy of the honor you have given me." I made sure to make eye contact with each and every person in that room. I meant what I said and wanted them to know it...especially Jaina.

Luke grinned and said, "Good. Now that that is taken care of, on to our next order of business. Since I will be relinquishing my seat on the Council to Kyp, that leaves us with an empty one. We have also discussed this matter and agreed on a suitable replacement... Jaina."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. She straightened in her chair with a jolt and I smirked.

"Jaina," Luke explained, "the Council feels that you are the perfect person to add to our ranks...that is, _if_ Kyp agrees."

All eyes were upon me, and Jaina's hopeful brown ones would have melted even the hardest of resolves. Fortunately, I wasn't trying to resist. "Of course I agree," I declared, and before I knew it Jaina had flung her arms around me for another hug. Two in two days. She was certainly more affectionate than I remembered, but I rather liked it.

"Thank you, Kyp," she whispered gratefully into my ear.

"Don't thank me. I'm just as shocked as you are."

"Ahem." Luke cleared his throat to get our attention and Jaina settled back into her seat. "Now, this isn't something you can just jump right into," he told her. "You'll need to shadow one of the other members for a while to get a feel for how we do things around here. And since you and Kyp have worked together successfully in the past, it only makes sense that he be the one you shadow. Again, Kyp, only if you agree."

"Sure, sure. No problem at all," I said grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. The way she looked at me and deftly weaved her fingers in mine sent a jolt of awareness through me that I couldn't explain. It should have been another clue as to what was to come, but I was too astonished with what had just been offered to me that I didn't think anything of her actions at the time.

I was such a fool.


	4. Chapter Three

_**Chapter 3**_

The chance of a lifetime.

That's what Uncle Luke and the rest of the Jedi Council was offering me. I still remembered sharing my secret goal with Jag at the end of the war. He had been slightly surprised to find that my ambitions ultimately lay beyond the military realm, but he was no more surprised than I was myself. If anyone had told me when I was younger that my fate was to lie along a similar path as my diplomatic mother, I would have laughed in his face. For so many years I had tried to be as _**un**_like Leia Organa Solo as possible. But then I grew up, and maturity showed me what an amazing woman she was both personally and politically. So wanting to delve into the complex world of diplomacy was simply and irrefutably in my blood.

I couldn't deny it...and I couldn't deny the thrill of knowing Kyp would be right there with me the whole way. We were great together.

The rest of the Council meeting was a blur, my mind racing with this new chapter opening unexpectedly in my life. Several times, Kyp glanced at me and smiled, sending congratulations to me via our long lost Force bond.

_Good job, Jaina. I'm proud of you._

_Thanks, Kyp_, I sent back. _But what about you, Mr. Head of the Council?_

It was as if I could feel him blush through our meld...feel the self-doubt plaguing him as he struggled to comprehend why he had been chosen to replace Uncle Luke.

_Don't, Kyp_, I assured him, reaching out to grab his strong hand. _You **do** deserve it. You'll be great._

He shot back a grateful smile that made me feel like I wanted to hug him again, but I needed to take it slow. Although I was certain of my feelings now, I was still unsure if he felt the same about me or how serious his relationship with this other woman was. In the past, the two of us had always skirted around the issue of anything more than friendship. Kyp had thrown a couple of hints that he might be interested, but like a gentleman, he had never acted on that interest. He was polite enough to step back and let Jag play that game. Maybe he felt too old.

I once thought that, too, but now that I was a woman, age didn't seem to matter.

I had always tried to ignore any indication I might feel something more for him, including those stomach flutters I used to get whenever he was around. They started when I was still a teenager and hadn't really ever stopped. Hence, the warm mushiness I was experiencing at the sight of his friendly smile.

I loved Kyp's smile...maybe because it was so rare and I was secretly pleased I was one of the only people who got the privilege of being on the receiving end of such a scarcity. My dad was another person who could make Kyp smile. To some degree, Kyp reminded me of Dad. He was a bit aloof and hard to get close to, but if you were lucky enough to break through all those barriers, you'd have a friend for life...someone who would stick by you no matter what. And that's exactly what Kyp had done for me.

I sneaked another look at his familiar profile while he listened intently as Cilghal read a report on the state of refugee camps in the Duros system. Kyp wasn't pretty. His face had a few laugh lines around his eyes and his nose was a tad bit crooked. His hair was always a little unkempt, those thick waves as untamed as the man whose head they graced. There was this one crazy piece that would flop down in his eyes. I remembered watching him fight with it on many occasions, threatening, in vain, to cut it off and pushing it back with an irritated huff.

Compared to many other men, he wasn't anything out of the ordinary...not holovid star material. He wasn't too short or too tall, but somewhere between Dad and Uncle Luke. His build wasn't too lanky or too muscled...but just right. Fashionwise, Kyp was no Ganner Rhysode, but his clothes always looked clean, neat, simple, and in no way flashy. Even though his past behavior seemed to contradict it, Kyp was in essence a rather modest man.

He was _beautiful_.

And I was a fool for wasting so many years. How could I not have seen how right for me he was? Oh, well... I couldn't change the past, but I could definitely shape the future.

The meeting finally ended and the members were slowly making their way over to congratulate both Kyp and me. I laughed to myself because it reminded me of a wedding I attended once where the bride and groom stood and shook the hands of every guest. The similarity was amusing.

"What are you laughing about?" he asked, catching me off guard.

I stared back speechless for a second before responding. "Oh, nothing. This just all seems so unreal."

"You're telling me! I sure wasn't expecting anything like this today."

Everyone else was gone from the room except for Uncle Luke who was gathering up his datapad. My happiness in gaining a seat on the Council was bubbling over and I needed to release it.

"Kyp, let's go celebrate," I suggested with a huge smile as I grabbed his hand. "My treat this time. We'll do dinner, maybe some dancing... what do you say?"

I could just imagine us...another cozy dinner for two, maybe a nice evening stroll in the moonlight, some close slow dancing. And then I could tell him about my feelings for him---one of my other goals for this trip to be checked off the list.

"I can't."

The words at first didn't register. He must have noticed the confused look on my face because he repeated them.

"I can't go with you, Jaina. I have other plans tonight."

My mouth moved but nothing came out. I let his hand go and looked away. "Oh...well...okay," I finally muttered, feeling a big lump form in my throat.

"I'm sorry. I'd really love to go, but I made these plans with Li'andra weeks ago and I can't break them."

I felt my nose flare again. "Oh," I said with a hint of disgust. Could he tell how irritated I was? I hoped so.

Kyp grabbed my hand back and tried to get me to look at him. "Hey, how about we go tomorrow night? I'm free then. We can have that dinner and I'll even force myself to do some dancing, if you won't be too embarrassed."

I looked up at his hopeful face and a small part of me wanted to tell him no just for spite. How dare he not jump at the chance to go with me instead of her! How dare he think I'd want to take a back seat to some prissy tramp! How dare he break my heart over her! We had a history together. They had--- well, I didn't know what they had.

And that was the problem.

"Sure," I said defeatedly. "That would be fine. Tomorrow night."

He squeezed my hand and offered me one last smile. "Super! I'd better get going so I'm not late. Li hates to be kept waiting. I'll see you bright and early in the morning so you can start learning the ropes. See ya, Jaina!"

Then he was gone and I was left staring after him like some lovesick fool.

A hand on my back startled me and I turned to see Uncle Luke smiling kindly.

"Mara told me I'd better bring you home for dinner tonight. If you don't come, I might have to sleep on the couch." He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a comforting squeeze. "What do you say? Will you come?"

"Sure, Uncle Luke. I'd hate to make Aunt Mara mad. It's kind of scary."

Uncle Luke chuckled. "You said it...not me!"

* * *

"So, Jaina, were you surprised?" Aunt Mara asked over dinner. The four of us—me, Uncle Luke, Mara and Ben—were seated comfortably around their dinner table in the modest living quarters provided for them by the Galactic Alliance. I wasn't paying attention and her question caught me off guard. My mind had inadvertently drifted yet again to thoughts of Kyp and his date with Li'andra. As much as I tried not to think about what they could possibly be doing, the vision of them together refused to leave me be.

Kyp having another woman around had definitely _not_ been in my plans.

"Um, surprised?" I repeated, trying to hide the fact I had no idea what Mara was referring to. She chuckled knowingly and leaned back in her chair to study me carefully.

"Yes, surprised," she said teasingly. "Or did you already guess why your uncle asked you to come to Denon?"

Oh---she meant the Council meeting.

"Yeah, I was very surprised," I answered quickly, "but happy."

Uncle Luke joined in. "It shouldn't have been too unexpected, Jaina. Leia told me about the diplomatic training she's been giving you whenever you're home. Your mother's very impressed a pleased that you've taken an interest in her line of work."

His twinkling blue eyes and the vote of confidence from my mother bolstered my flagging ego. "Thanks, Uncle Luke," I replied. "I used to think when I was young that Mom's job was so boring, but after experiencing the war and its aftermath of total political chaos, I'd say it's not a job for the faint of heart," I laughed. "Mom's done some consulting work for Cal Omas, as you know, and she let me go with her several times to see how it's done. I'm just anxious to get started with my new position on the Council. It's what I've been working toward since the end of the war, even though I didn't think it would happen quite so soon."

Uncle Luke reached over and patted my hand. "You'll do just fine, Jaina," he assured me. He pulled his hand away and started cutting another piece of his nerf steak.

"I think Kyp was even more surprised than me," I declared as I swallowed down the last of my blue milk, a staple in the Skywalker home.

"Kyp is cool!" Ben chimed in from his spot across from me, his mouth full of half-chewed food. I snorted in shock and glanced at Aunt Mara who simply rolled her eyes in defeat as I bit back a chuckle. Ben noticed the look on his mother's face and apologized. "Sorry, Mom. I mean, **_Master_** Durron is cool. Jaina, did you really fly with him and beat all those Vong with shadow bombs?" he asked excitedly.

I looked once again at Aunt Mara, wondering how I should answer Ben. Her dislike of Kyp was legendary, and the fact that Ben was obviously enthralled by him was yet another surprise. She answered my unspoken question with another roll of her eyes.

"So you like Master Durron, eh?" I finally said.

He nodded exaggeratedly. "Yeah, man! He rocks! He even let me fly in his cool ship once!"

"He did?" I replied slightly stunned that Aunt Mara would allow such a thing to happen.

She quickly explained. "I wasn't around that day. Your uncle let him go---said it would be good for him...and Kyp," she snorted.

"And it was," Uncle Luke interjected, "for both of them." That was Uncle Luke...always the optimist. He went on to elaborate. "Jaina, you of all people know Kyp has a tendency to distance himself from most others. A lot of that stems from his past, I'm sure. For a while he had you to keep him connected, but once you left..." He stopped and looked away, thinking he had said too much.

The lull in the conversation provided me with my chance.

"What about this woman?---this _Li'andra_ person? Doesn't she keep him _'connected'_?" I asked, trying desperately to sound indifferent.

Mara smirked and sneaked a glance at Uncle Luke. "Ah, met her already, have you?"

Uncle Luke stifled a smile, too, and avoided my questioning gaze.

"Yes, I have..._unfortunately_," I muttered, popping the crust of remaining bread into my mouth. "She was at his office yesterday when I went to see him."

I heard Aunt Mara chuckle under her breath and Uncle Luke shot her a warning glare. "She's harmless enough, Jaina," he began, "but I'm not so sure she cares too much about his..._'emotional' well-being_."

Now Mara didn't even try to hide her amusement but laughed out loud. I had to know why. "What's so funny?" I asked, still trying to sound like I didn't really care.

Mara and Uncle Luke shared a secretive look yet again before Mara turned to Ben and said, "Ben, honey, please go get us some more milk, will you?"

Ben looked at me, then his father, and finally his mother before exclaiming, "You're going to talk about grown-up stuff now, aren't you? Stuff I'm not supposed to know about. But Uncle Han already told me all about females a long time ago," he stated triumphantly.

The grin was instantly wiped off Mara's face and reappeared as quickly on Uncle Luke's. Meanwhile, I tried to imagine what in creation my father might have told an eight year old about relationships between men and women—this being the same man whose every response to any such inquiry my brothers and I ever had was _"Go ask your mother."_

"Ben," Luke cautioned his young son firmly.

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" he conceded, jumping up from the table and tromping into the kitchen.

"I'm going to kill your father," Aunt Mara told me. "My son is drawn to every rogue and scoundrel between here and the Unknown Regions."

"Like father, like son," Luke teased.

"Can it, Farmboy," she responded playfully. Then she turned back to me. "Now, about Li'andra S'ynclair."

I perked up in my seat and asked, "About her...are she and Kyp..._close_?"

Mara pursed her lips and contemplated an answer. "I'm not really sure how to describe their relationship. I know that he helped track down the man who killed her husband and about a year or so later, they started showing up at public functions together."

I frowned. That was no more than I already knew, but, luckily, Uncle Luke continued the story.

"At first, Kyp was more of a bodyguard for her since there was worry that she might be targeted, as well. It made sense for someone already acquainted with the case to help her out."

Mara laughed again, the sound assuring me that there was more to it than Uncle Luke was sharing. "Oh, please! Tell the truth, Skywalker. That woman practically _begged_ you to assign Kyp as her bodyguard."

My eyes popped in sincere interest. "She _begged_ for Kyp?"

"Li'andra S'ynclair is interested in one thing and one thing only---_herself_," Mara revealed in disgust. "Her marriage to the senator was just another step up on the ladder of status and power for her. It sure as hell wasn't a love match. He was over twice her age. After she found out who the lead investigator was in his murder—Kyp Durron...famous war hero, Master Jedi, member of the Jedi Council--- she didn't even wait for her late husband to turn cold in the ground before she set her sights on Kyp."

_Whoa._

Luke sighed. "Now, Mara, she's not all that bad," he countered, as usual trying to give someone the benefit of a doubt. Both Aunt Mara and I snorted loudly in disbelief simultaneously. "No, really," he tried to persuade. "I know it seems like she's using Kyp, but I think she does care about him...in her own way. And at least she keeps him from being too lonely."

_Lonely._ What a horrible word.

Then it hit me. Kyp was lonely and had turned to this only available option—a power hungry status seeker who only wanted him for the position he held. Is this what he felt forced to accept? Instead of looking for someone who honestly cared about him, he had settled...for her. He couldn't possibly be happy with her and surely saw her for what she really was...didn't he? I shuddered at the thought of them together---her taking and taking from him until he was sucked dry with nothing left to give. And that's how Kyp was when he cared about you. He gave and gave and gave while others were content to simply do the taking.

I knew because once upon a time one of those 'others' doing the taking had been me.

But no more. It was time to do some giving.


	5. Chapter Four

_Sorry for the long delay. :( I'm trying to load this again since the first time didn't take my line breaks._

Chapter Four

I was irritated and I wasn't sure why.

Mikel surely knew it the minute I stormed into my office without even letting him finish his morning greeting. My door slid shut just as he was asking if I'd like a cup of stimcaf but knew it was best when I was in such a mood to leave me be unless it was an absolute emergency. I'd apologize later. I always did.

I untied my cape and tossed it onto the couch before flopping down into my plush desk chair. With a big sigh, I stood right back up and moved over to the large window to gaze out at the city below. However, I wasn't really seeing what was right in front of me because my mind was still trying to decipher why I was so agitated this morning.

Li'andra had noticed my mood last night, my head still reeling from that encounter. After spending the evening at a reception for visiting dignitaries from her home planet, we returned to her luxury apartment located in the most upscale area of the city, of course. Nothing but the best for Li', which is why we never went to my place. But that was fine with me. It meant I didn't have to clean up my mess.

The evening had been pleasant enough---shaking lots of important hands, smiling thousands of fake smiles until I thought my cheeks would literally slide off of my face. It was the type of outing we had shared many times before. Afterward, we would usually head back to her apartment if we were both up for it.

Last night I hadn't been up to it.

We were standing in her spacious entry hall having just come inside when she got that predictable glint in her eye and sidled up to me running her hands up my chest.

"So, are you staying? It's been a while," she purred seductively as she pressed closer.

It was a game I had played before, but, for some reason, I wasn't in the mood to participate. I grabbed her hands to stop her progress and offered a curt, "I can't."

For the second time in one day, those two small words brought a look of utter astonishment to a woman's face. Li'andra yanked her hands from mine and her pale eyes flashed icy blue, revealing what I knew to be her true nature.

"Not tonight," I added for clarification noting the vicious glare she was spearing me with. "Thank you for the offer though."

She studied me intently, as if assessing her options. "You sound so formal…like it's a business proposition," she said haughtily, quickly regaining her superior disposition. I immediately put myself on guard. I had seen her on the offensive. She could be ruthless.

But then so could I.

"Isn't it?" I replied insolently with an arrogant huff. "You got what you wanted from me tonight, so you should be happy I'm not expecting anything in return."

Her brow arched flirtatiously and she stepped in closer to gaze up at me through her long lashes. "I haven't gotten all I want from you just yet, darling," she insinuated, raking a possessive look up and down my body before leaning up and placing enticing kisses along my jaw. It was a move that had worked often enough in the past, but did nothing more at that moment than further my annoyance.

I turned my head away from her mouth and took a step back. "I have to go," I said coldly. "I have to get up early in the morning."

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a hint of disappointment in Li'andra's eyes caused by my rejection of her offer, which so many times before had been readily accepted. But then I remembered who I was looking at and saw the look for what it was. If she was hurt, it was only because she hadn't gotten what she wanted.

"It's her, isn't it?" she asked hastily, blocking my exit.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

She stared at me and crossed her arms in front of her chest causing even more of her usually tempting cleavage to spill out of her revealing bodice.

"Your little friend---Jeanie, or whatever her name is," she declared snobbily.

I felt my temper begin to flare. "Her name is Jaina—not Jeanie," I explained calmly although my jaw clenched. "And I still don't know what you're talking about."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Don't play games with me, Kyp. I saw how your eyes lit up when you saw her yesterday. Any woman worth her mettle knows what that means. But isn't she a little young for you?" Her words struck like a blade right to my own doubts.

Ah…so this was how it was going to be. Well, then…

"True, she's younger than _you_," I stated plainly, crossing my arms and relishing the stunned look on her face. Li'andra had issues with her age, trying desperately to hold back the hands of time by utilizing any and all beauty treatments she could to keep her thirty-five year old face and body as ageless as possible. I knew it was a sore subject and had chosen my words carefully.

It worked. She backed down, albeit very grudgingly.

"She's a friend, Li'," I explained kindly, loosening my arms in an attempt at a truce. Despite her selfish flaws, Li' was good at heart…sort of. "I knew Jaina when she was just a toddler."

She took a deep breath and looked at me sweetly. Amazing how she could she change moods so rapidly. "So, she's like your little sister then?" she asked hopefully moving closer to run a finger up my arm.

How could I explain what Jaina and I had? I couldn't…not to Li'andra. "Not exactly." Her gaze turned cold again. "We're just…friends. We went through a lot together in the war and I just haven't seen her in several years."

I could see the wheels spinning in her mind as she struggled with how to respond. "Funny how such a good friend hasn't seen you in so long," she jabbed. "Maybe she's not as good a friend as you think."

I didn't even remember what I said next. All I know is that I was out of there and back home in record time. It's interesting how fast time flies when you're busy seething with rage.

So I had spent most of the night in restless contemplation of Li'andra's insinuations about Jaina. My mind mulled over our relationship trying unsuccessfully to pin down an exact description of what we were to each other. But try as I might, I couldn't do it.

With Li'andra, it was simple…a basic give and take. We had an agreement and each of us played our parts with no strings attached. But with Jaina, things had never been simple and probably never would.

Li's words haunted me as I tossed and turned all night long. Why had Jaina not contacted me in so long? Did she not care as much for our friendship as I did? True, I hadn't tried to contact her either, but that was because I didn't want to seem pushy or overbearing. She was still growing up and needed space to figure things out on her own. Or was I afraid to admit that she had simply tired of me and our relationship?…seen fit to cast me aside like so much useless trash.

I growled in disgust and banged the window in my office.

"Still not a morning person, I see."

I spun around to see Jaina standing in my open doorway, an amused smirk on her face. I'd been so lost in my distressing thoughts that I hadn't even heard her come in.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," I stated, dragging a hand back through my hair as I took a seat at my desk.

"Oh," she said quietly, the smile instantly gone from her lips. Then thankfully she changed the subject. "Mikel informed me that my office won't be ready for another few days."

"Um, yeah, that's what I figured. They've been remodeling it." I knew since mine was right across the hall. The sound of power tools and busy construction droids had drifted into my office on too many occasions over the past few weeks. "You can just share mine until yours is finished," I offered without even thinking first. It had slipped out of my mouth as a natural reaction to Jaina Solo. I could never seem to refuse her anything she asked for.

I forced myself not to wonder why that was.

"Great," she said taking a seat on the couch after pulling my cape into her lap. She didn't know I was watching, but I saw her bring it to her nose and take a deep breath. A tiny smile curved her lips when it descended, and, for some reason, that pleased me and soothed my irritation. After folding the cape and placing it carefully on the cushion next to her, she leaned back and realized I'd been watching her every move. A slight blush crept up her neck and onto her cheeks and I grinned.

"So," I exclaimed, "are you ready to get started?"

* * *

"Please, make it stop!"

I laughed out loud as Jaina plopped onto the couch and admitted defeat.

"Giving up already, Solo?" I teased. "Funny. I never took you for a quitter."

She glanced at me, her expression warring between a glare and a sulky pout.

"Oh, I'm not quitting. Solos **_never _**quit," she stated defiantly before slumping back into the cushions. "It's just that I didn't think there would be so much stuff to learn. How many planet files have we gone through so far?"

I leaned back casually in my chair and propped my feet up on my desk. "Only twenty-two. We have hundreds more to study to get you up to speed for your Council duties," I informed her sadistically.

A very unladylike groan issued from the sofa. "I hope you're kidding. And here I thought this job would be exciting and adventurous."

I chuckled again. "First things first. You've got to crawl before you can walk."

She shot me a look to kill.

"Thank you, oh, wise one, for that tidbit of knowledge. But if I'm going to have to read hundreds more files, I'm going to need to be fed. When's lunch?"

So, we ordered lunch in and kept on working. Jaina had always been a hard worker and it was good to know she hadn't changed. She determined to make it through thirty more files by the end of her first day, and we beat it. She actually finished with thirty-one and positively beamed with pride as she closed out the last file card and ejected it from her datapad.

"Well, I now know that the main export of Tano V is bunkin, a type of livestock manure that is considered a rare delicacy for the people of Rynos II. My life is now complete." She rose from the couch and walked toward my desk. I shut down my datapad and straightened the stack of data discs strewn every which way. Jaina grabbed a few more on her way and added them to my stack.

"Just think," I said sarcastically, "tomorrow we get to start all over again with the second batch…or rather, YOU get to start. Technically, as head of the Council I suppose I really don't have to lower myself to such menial tasks."

She froze and stared at me, mouth agape. "You're not going to help me tomorrow?" The distraught expression on her face was so uncharacteristic and took me totally by surprise. She seemed genuinely crushed at the thought of my not working with her that I immediately regretted my jest and found myself apologizing.

"I'm only teasing, Jaina," I assured her, happy to see her look of obvious relief. "Of course I'll work with you until you're finished…or until you're so sick of my company that you beg me to leave you alone."

Her brown eyes bored into mine.

"I'd never do that, Kyp."

_What!_

My mouth went dry and I think my heart actually stopped for a minute…or maybe it was my brain because my mind blanked and my tongue wouldn't work for about five seconds---or was it more? I don't know. I don't really remember anything much except trying to comprehend Jaina's last sentence. My first reaction was to laugh. For anyone that knows Jaina's and my history, to see it written down you would assume she was being extremely sarcastic, at the most, playful and teasing. But being there, standing in front of her as those eyes of hers locked on mine, she wasn't playing and she definitely wasn't being sarcastic. I think she actually _meant _them.

Stupid me, instead of pausing to think things through or, heaven forbid, ask her what she meant exactly, I made light of it and changed the subject.

_Idiot._

"Ready to go?" I asked, moving toward the door.

She glanced at me in confusion. "Go where?"

"Dinner. We had plans, remember?"

A mischievous smirk tilted the corner of her mouth. "Oh, did Lady Li'andra let you off your leash for the evening?" The tone of her voice was teasing, but the glint in her eyes was not.

"Very funny, Goddess. For your sake, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. And for your information, no one keeps Kyp Durron on a leash." I bent down to retrieve my cape, recalling how she had tenderly folded and lifted to her nose to breathe in…what? My scent? How…interesting and unexpected.

She lifted a challenging eyebrow and pushed past me out the door. "That's a shame," she tossed back over her shoulder. "Sounds like it could be fun."

Again--- me---frozen into place by something Jaina Solo had just said. She was already in the lobby saying goodbye to Mikel, and there I was still in the same exact place. Had she just shot me a suggestive innuendo? Jaina Solo? The girl who once told me she wouldn't spit on me if I was dying of thirst in a desert? Did she really just---? Forbidden images popped into my mind, but I kicked them out as forcefully as I could. Having this kind of banter with her was a strange new experience for me and I didn't know what to think or do. Eventually, after she turned and asked if I was coming or not, I picked up my jaw from the floor and followed her out the door.

Yet another sign I should have paid heed to and didn't. And _I'm_ the head of the Jedi Council? _What were they thinking?_

* * *

I slept for several hours after Jaina left me drugged and locked in the cabin on board her ship. I had to laugh at my predicament as I lay flat on my back, hands behind my head staring up at the ceiling. Glancing over at the door, I was sure I could open it if I really wanted to, but I wasn't yet convinced it was in my best interest to be on the other side of that door. Jaina Solo was up to something, and while part of me was still recovering from the shock of the whole situation, another part of me was scared to death to find out what she had in mind. I had seen her ruthlessness during her 'dark time'. That's what we had jokingly called her slight descent into the Dark Side of the Force after Anakin's death--- years later, of course.

As the minutes ticked by, I became more curious about Jaina's scheme and my part in it. I tried to sit up and a pain shot out right from the stun blast---the one _she_ caused--- reminding me of how angry I was with her. Who did she think she was luring me to a secluded spot under false pretenses only to shoot me and hijack me to gods know where! She had a lot to answer for.

'_Jaina! Get in here--- NOW!',_ I sent to her via our long dormant Force bond. Glad to see it still worked, because in just a few minutes she was walking through my door.

And she was smiling.

"Awake?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, I'm awake," I answered menacingly with a glare as I struggled to get up from the bed.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, her 'sweetness and light' routine only serving to add fuel to my growing irritation.

I finally stood right in front of her and, if I'm not mistaken, snorted. "Like I would eat or drink anything from you after what you did to my drink earlier, not to mention the fact that you SHOT ME!"

Then she had the nerve to roll her eyes at me. She rolled her eyes!--- at me.

"Not this again. Didn't we already have this conversation? What I'm doing is for your own good, Kyp. Trust me."

The lopsided smile on her face looked so amazingly like her father that I had to blink to make sure it wasn't really Han Solo in front of me. I had heard him say that on several occasions, usually before he was about to do something that would put everyone in his general vicinity in extreme peril. Trust her? Yeah, right!

"You're insane, you know that?" I replied. "The Jaina Solo I knew may have been a bit arrogant, a bit brash, even a little bit too intense, but you, I don't know you. You're not the same person."

She was still smiling, although I had seen it falter for just a second when I mentioned she was a bit arrogant. But still she stood there grinning at me as if she knew something I didn't. Which she did, technically, but still--- it was annoying.

"You're right," she stated simply. "I'm not the same person." She took a step closer to me and I didn't know what to expect next. "That's what I've been trying to make you see, Kyp. I've changed." She took a few more steps and was then only inches from me. When her tiny hand came to rest above my heart, I flinched. "I've grown up. I'm not the same Jaina. I'm a better Jaina. I'm not that foolish teenager anymore who doesn't know what she wants or what's best for her. Now, I know what I want and I know who is best for me."

She closed the gap between us, our bodies brushing together and I felt myself tremble--- or was it her? Oh well, it didn't matter because she looked up at me with those big brown eyes, smoldering so hot I could feel all my anger instantly melt away. My hand moved to brush her cheek and she leaned into my palm, breathing deeply and closing her eyes in what I think was pleasure. Moving my hand under her chin, I forced her to look up at me again.

"And what do you want, Jaina? Who is best for you?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I could hardly breathe waiting for her answer.

Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "You."

And, of course, I kissed her.


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5---_

Kyp was really starting to tick me off.

One minute he was kissing me—I mean, _Kissing_ me with a capital **K**! And then the next, he's pushing me away.

"What—what are you doing, Jaina!" he yelled, raking a hand back through his hair. He looked distraught.

I crossed my arms and huffed. "I _thought_ we were kissing," I replied through gritted teeth. "At least that's what we _normal _people call it. And if I recall correctly, _you_ were the one who started it!"

He stared at me in disbelief. "_Normal_! You call yourself _normal_! You are anything _but_ normal, Jaina Solo. You're vapin' nuts! First you shoot me and haul me onto your ship going who knows where. Then you waltz on in here and, may I remind you, kiss _me_. Next, you drug my drink; act like you haven't done a thing wrong and then we're kissing…again! That is **_not_** normal!"

He paced a few times, breathing heavily and then stopped to glare at me again. I hadn't seen him this upset in ages. It was kind of fun.

"I want to know what's going on and I want to know now. In fact," he quickly moved to block the doorway, "you're not leaving this room until you answer my questions." He spread his legs and stood with his arms crossed in front of his still shirtless chest, daring me to try and leave. I quickly reminded myself that I had planned for such a response and my anger rapidly defused.

"What questions might those be, Kyp?" I replied, trying not to laugh at the bulging vein in his neck. He took a deep breath to calm himself, allowing the Force to take away the edge.

"Where are we going?" he asked calmly.

"You don't need to know--- _yet_," I answered. The vein twitched again.

Next question.

"How did you get me on board?"

"That one's easy," I said casually. "Lando loaned me a couple of YVH droids he had laying around. Did you know those things could carry weights of up to 500 pounds? Amazing technology, don't you think?"

Now his eye joined in with that pulsating vein. I was pushing this too far, most likely, but I couldn't help myself. I knew he wouldn't really hurt me, at least not physically.

"Very funny, Jaina," he snapped. "This time I want a real answer."

"Fire away, _Master_ Durron."

He just shook his head and sighed, letting his hands drop to his sides. "All right… why did you do all of this to kidnap me? Couldn't you just have _asked_ me to come with you?"

The fun was gone. He looked and sounded defeated. That's not exactly what I had been aiming for. I took a step forward and he tensed immediately, so I stopped.

"Kyp, I only did all of this to keep you from making a big mistake—the biggest one of your whole life. And with _your_ record that's saying a lot," I added, hoping to ease some of the tension.

It didn't work.

"May I ask what mistake you're talking about?"

Was he really _this_ dense? He seemed sincerely confused.

"Marrying Li'andra--- _that_ mistake."

He shook his head to make sure he heard me correctly. "_What!_ _Marrying_ Li'andra? What the sith are you talking about?"

My confidence began to falter.

"She—she told me you were getting married…at her country house… last night."

Kyp's eyes were wide with astonishment and he was speechless. I took a few steps closer and tried to make him understand what I knew to be right.

"Kyp, she's all wrong for you. You've got to know that. She's only using you," at this, I cringed with revulsion, "and your position on the Council to further her own status. She's mean and selfish and way too prissy to make you truly happy. She doesn't even really know you, not like I do. She's not the type to want a family and kids. Can she even fly? Because you love to fly. And she hasn't been through what we've been through—the war, the Dark Side, years of friendship. I couldn't let you do that to yourself."

A few moments of silence hung in the air between us. I didn't know what else to say. Surely he had to see the truth. I had to make him see it.

A huge grin spread across Kyp's face and then… he laughed… at me.

"You're kidding, right? This is just some joke to make me look like a fool. Who planned this? Your Aunt Mara? I know how she feels about me."

Now I was confused.

"I'm not kidding, Kyp. Li'andra told me last week what you had planned. But I just couldn't let you make that mistake."

He studied me and even gently probed my mind through the Force to assure himself that this was no joke.

"You're serious? You honestly thought I was going to marry Li'andra?" he said. I simply nodded. "She told you we were getting married, and you believed her?" Again, a nod. "Jaina, Li'andra lies all the time."

Relief coursed through my veins. "So, you're not getting married?"

He smiled warmly and put a hand on my shoulder. "No, I'm not getting married. Not to Li'andra and not to anyone."

I did a double take. Did he just say not to _anyone_?

"What---what do you mean?"

"Jaina, remember I told you that I'm content with my life the way it is. I'm past the time in my life when I can have a wife and kids. I'm too old for that stuff. I accepted that a long time ago. You know that. And even if I weren't too old, I sure as hell wouldn't marry Li'andra. Everything you said about her is true, but she and I have…an _understanding_. We're companions, but not really anything more. She must have just been having a bit of fun with you. I never would have guessed you were so gullible, Jaina," he finished with a pat on my back.

My heart sunk to the soles of my feet. What an idiot I was! All I wanted to do was run and hide in the cockpit or anywhere away from him. He must have noticed my distress because he put his arm around me and said, "Don't worry about it. It'll be our little secret. All you have to do is turn the ship around and head back home. I'll have a little talk with Li'andra and things will be back to normal."

Back to normal. Just what I wanted. Not quite! He seemed to have forgotten that only moments ago he had been kissing me…and doing so in a way that was outlawed on several systems, I believe. Then just like that, he had blown me off.

Jaina Solo does _not_ get blown off.

I took a deep breath and focused, and before Kyp knew what hit him, I had Force pushed him into the opposite wall. The look of shock on his face as he lay in a heap on the floor was rewarding as I glared down at him in indignant wrath.

"Laugh it up, Durron." I wasn't ready to go back to normal just yet. "My ship, my rules. I'm _not _going back to Denon." Then I spun around and headed out the door.

* * *

I don't even remember walking the corridor back to the cockpit. Must have been the rage _seething_ through my body. I slapped the overhead panel and flopped into my pilot's chair. After a few deep breaths, I began to feel myself calm down as the Force cleansed out some of the anger.

But only some.

Kyp Durron was insufferable.

Turn around and go home so things could get back to normal? If his idea of normal was just being 'friends' while he played around with _Lady_ Li'andra then there was no way I was turning around.

No… sithin'… way.

As my anger subsided, a seed of disappointment began to grow, starting in the pit of my stomach and rapidly enveloping my heart. The kiss…he hadn't even mentioned it. Had even seemed to forget that it even happened all within the span of mere minutes. Was I a total moron? Was I really nuts like he said? Had I wasted the last years fostering a possibility that would never come to pass? Were the last couple of months we'd spent together nothing more to Kyp than friendship?

My mind busily cycled through the last several weeks, at all the hours we had shared working and getting reacquainted. Despite my uneasiness about Li'andra, I had decided to take things slow. Kyp and I had been apart for five years (my fault, I admit), but I figured a few more weeks of waiting before I made my move wouldn't hurt while I assured myself that he indeed was the man I really wanted…the man I'd been fantasizing about for over a year now.

After Jag and I finally called it quits after one of our sporadic interludes, I took some time to adjust to the truly single life. Independence was practically my middle name, so it wasn't a big deal…at first. Then I started noticing things I hadn't bothered to notice before, like how much Mom and Dad really loved each other… I mean _'really'_ loved each other. Once the war was over and they had time to actually focus only on their marriage, they were like newlyweds again, always flirting, casting longing glances, giggling, touching. Mom said they had never really had much of a chance to just be Mr. and Mrs. Solo in between wars and Imperial warlords, and they were enjoying it. I guess it should have been slightly disturbing to see my parents act like lovesick kids, but I was strangely envious. A part of me felt empty, and every time I'd start to feel that way, Kyp would pop into my mind.

Talk about disturbing.

However, the more I thought about him, the less disturbing the idea of him and me seemed. It wasn't an _'a-ha'_ moment when I all of a sudden realized it. No, it was a gradual take-over of my mind and heart. I would remember things he had said, stupid jokes he had made or interesting insights he shared with only me. I tried to rationalize it by telling myself that it was only my guilt at having not talked to him, my friend, for so long, that I was only thinking of him so often because I needed to bring closure to our relationship.

Closure?

Not exactly what I wanted now.

I started remembering the way he looked, his dark hair long and sometimes a bit messy. His dark cape given to him by my father that he still wore with pride, flowing behind him as he walked away from me (usually in exasperation). I would recall how he pronounced certain words with a bit of an accent leftover from his youth, how his hands looked so strong holding a cup of stimcaf in the mess hall, how his presence in the Force sometimes took my breath away from its magnitude…

The way he always made my stomach do a little flip every time he turned his intense gaze upon me, the way he would never back down from me but continually challenged me and my beliefs.

He was my match. I knew it.

Even the Force knew it. Almost as soon as I admitted to myself that I needed to contact Kyp, Uncle Luke contacted me and asked that I come to Denon. It was destiny, I tell you. So I willingly and enthusiastically made arrangements, sure that once we saw each other, things would fall perfectly in place. Surely Kyp would agree.

Yeah, well, the Force must have a sense of humor because things didn't go exactly as planned, and right now things didn't seem to be getting any better.

How else could I make him see that we were made for one another? Solos were people of action and single-mindedness. Once we made a decision, it needed to be acted upon immediately. (Well, except for Jacen. He tended to mull things over for a decade or so.) I had been trying for nearly two months, giving him subtle and some not so subtle hints, but he was resisting. He tried to feed me those same tired lines about being too old and uninterested in marriage and family, but I refused to believe he had no interest in me romantically. I could feel it radiating from him even though he tried desperately to keep it reined in.

Case in point, our little flying rendezvous—or should I say… _fiasco_.

* * *

Three weeks had passed since my return to Denon and things were, I thought, progressing between us, albeit too slowly for my liking. With our new positions on the Council we spent a lot of time working together, much to Li'andra's dismay. Their encounters were kept to a bare minimum…and I'll never reveal how that was accomplished.

After finishing all of my initial briefings, I began accompanying him to many meetings and, I have to say, he was amazing to watch. When once he had been outspoken and too abrasive in making his point, now he was an exemplary diplomat, deftly, but firmly, sharing the Council's stance on various issues as they were discussed with other government officials. I could tell by the way the other bureaucrats and politicians responded to him, that Kyp had become a well-respected member of this new republic.

I even remarked on the change one day to which he simply responded, "Time changes things, Jaina. Even me." The enigmatic look he gave me left me contemplating his meaning all afternoon until I couldn't stand it anymore. Three weeks was plenty of time to know that Kyp was indeed the man for me, more now than ever before. Time had only made him better. I was compelled to do something about the way I felt.

As we left the meeting with Cal Omas, an idea sparked in my mind.

"Kyp?" I said sidling up next to him and looping my arm through his.

He glanced down briefly, gradually becoming more used to my newfound penchant for physical contact, and then at me. "Yes?"

"We need to go flying." I grinned at my brilliant idea. Flying together had always been a time for us to share our Force bond. Maybe then he would let his guard down and admit how he really felt.

He smiled, "Flying, huh? And why do we need to do that?"

"Well, as far as I know, you haven't been flying since I've been here, and I've only gone up for a few practice runs. If we don't keep our skills sharp, we'll get rusty and that would be a shame. Especially me, the daughter of Han Solo. He'd be so disappointed."

I could tell by the twinkle in his eyes, that he was interested and it didn't take long for him to give in.

"Disappointing Han is not something I'd ever want to be accused of doing… again, anyway."

"So, you'll go?" I asked anxiously, squeezing his arm.

"Okay," he agreed, "but what are we going to fly? I don't have an X-wing anymore, just my Sekotan ship."

Uh-oh. Hadn't thought of that one.

"We could maybe scrounge a couple up, do you think?" I asked.

"It'll take a few days."

I didn't have a few days. I needed to get this off of my chest today. He seemed to sense my urgency.

"We could just go up together in my ship," he suggested. "I've made a few modifications to her. You could give me your opinion of my craftsmanship." Then he seemed to get a tad uncomfortable and added, "Or not. We don't have to. We can wait to get some X-wings."

"No, no!" I jumped at his first offer. Maybe being on the same ship would be even better. Why hadn't I thought of that? "Your ship would be great! Let me go home and change, and then I'll meet you there. Hey, I'll even bring dinner, how's that?" Oh, this was getting better all the time. Now, he looked a little apprehensive. Was that good or bad?

"You'd better take me up on my offer. It's the closest I get to actually cooking," I added.

He smiled and acquiesced. "Okay, Goddess. How's 0700 sound? I'll send the address of the hangar bay to your apartment's computer."

"Sounds great!" I beamed. I was so close to finally getting what I wanted that I was feeling kind of…_saucy_. I don't know what possessed me to try and flirt, but I did. I moved directly in front of him and looked up at him from underneath my lashes. "And after dinner, maybe we can have…_dessert_."

He couldn't believe I'd said it. Sith, I didn't either, but it was done. I had managed to throw another blatantly obvious innuendo directly at him and if he missed this one, well…I wouldn't go down that path.

Kyp stood there speechless for a few seconds and I thought it best that I leave him like that, so I stretched up on my tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek before saying goodbye and taking off.

I rushed home, showered, took extra time with my appearance, rushed to pick up something to eat, added a bottle of Corellian brandy, and made it to his ship right on time. He was waiting and seemed a little nervous. Then he saw me, and he suddenly looked _a lot_ nervous… but pleasantly surprised, too.

Maybe it was the way I looked. My outfit wasn't exactly made for flying comfort, and I suppose the shimmery halter showed too much of my skin, but I thought I looked fairly attractive. He must have thought so, too, because he actually whistled as I walked up the ramp to his ship.

"Wow, Solo! You clean up nice! Do you have a hot date or something?" he asked as he took the bag with our dinner from my hand.

"Maybe," I said in my best seductress voice. His eyes locked with mine for just a second before he cleared his throat and continued up the ramp.

"Do you want to eat or fly first?" he asked.

"I'm pretty hungry. You'd better feed me first," I answered, catching a whiff of his clean scent wafting behind him. Apparently, he had cleaned up a bit, too. Another good sign.

Kyp looked at me over his shoulder and grinned. "Yeah, I know how grumpy you can get on an empty stomach. And it is not a pleasant sight."

He was teasing me, and I loved it. "Hey, watch it, Durron! They don't call me 'Sword of the Jedi' for nothing." He winked at me and chuckled before continuing on through the small corridor.

It had been awhile since I'd been in his Sekotan ship and I studied it closely as he led the way inside. This 'technology', if you could call it that, was still amazing to me. The way something alive could adapt itself so specifically for a given task, forming such a link to its pilot continued to be a mystery I wasn't sure I'd ever understand. Kyp caught me running my fingers across the smooth, pulsating walls, staring in silent wonder. I had stopped and didn't even realize it until Kyp's voice sounded right in my ear. His warm breath tickled.

"You're not jealous, are you?" he asked playfully.

I jerked my head around to look at him. Did he know how I felt about Li'andra? "Jealous?"

He looked at me curiously and explained. "Well, I remember how upset you were when no seed pods attached to you on Zonama Sekot. You're not going to knock me out and take my ship, are you?" He smiled and cocked a dark eyebrow. Force, was he handsome! How had I missed it for so long?

I chuckled and shook my head, then stopped and acted like I was actually considering his idea. "Hmmm…" I mumbled, delighted to see the brief look of distress flash across his face. He knew more than anyone what I was capable of if I put my mind to it. "No. I wouldn't do that to you Kyp," I finally conceded, but then paused dramatically, "at least, not for your ship."

I shot him the old Solo grin and he laughed. "Jaina, sometimes I wonder what is going on in that head of yours, and it frightens me."

_Me, too_, I thought to myself. Ever since Kyp and I had been around each other again, I wasn't acting like the old Jaina. In fact, the old Jaina of a few years ago would have scoffed at anyone who even dared suggest that I would be chasing after Kyp Durron, perhaps even have relieved them of the very tongue that spoke those blasphemous words. But after plenty of time of reflection on my life, the fact that I needed and wanted Kyp could no longer be denied.

I was lost.

Or in love.

Was there a difference?

At the end of the corridor was a small area, which I assumed was where we would eat. A round table with a bench wrapped around it sat in the middle. A few cushions were tossed around, which he quickly returned to their proper places. The walls—which were alive, I reminded myself—were emitting a pale pink luminescence that made it seem very warm and cozy…quite conducive to my present inclinations.

Ah, sweet destiny!

"This is nice," I remarked as he motioned for me to take a seat. "Good thing I brought the brandy. Now all we need is some romantic music in the background."

Kyp looked at me funny, and I think I even saw a hint of pink creeping up his neck onto his cheeks. "Yeah, right. Us..romantic!" he laughed. Then he pointed at the bottle in my hand. "Are you even old enough to drink that stuff?" he asked, quickly recovering from any embarrassment he'd felt.

_Old enough!_ Why did he insist on seeing me as that teenager from the past? Force, was he stubborn! And it was starting to upset me.

"Oh, I'm old enough," I remarked, my chin thrust arrogantly into the air. "The question is, can you handle me?" My dark eyes stared right into his and a spark ignited between us, neither of us looking away. I could feel it as much I could the seat beneath me. It was real…palpable…as alive as the ship surrounding us.

After a few seconds of heated silence, I decided to press onward. Kyp still wasn't sure how to take this new Jaina, I could tell, but that was the best time to strike, so to speak. I held up the bottle between us. "Ready to give it a try?"

I scooted a little closer to him and he just kept staring at me. "You're…_different_, Jaina," he said softly, the confusion on his face starting to clear as he took the bottle from me and sat it on the table. My heart was pounding, my body temperature rising rapidly.

"Time changes things, Kyp. Even me," I replied, repeating his words from earlier that day.

Now was the time. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to kiss me, and I wanted him to do it. Should I say something else? Should I move closer…make the first move? I could never claim to be an expert on men and romance. My experience had been pretty limited.

Then the choice was taken from me. He shook free of my spell and started going through the bag of food I had brought. I waited too long. My heart fell to the floor and I tried not to let him see my disappointed pout.

"So, what did you bring to eat?" he said, his lame attempt at changing the subject infuriating me more with each passing moment. But perhaps he had forgotten that an irritated Jaina was an even _more determined_ Jaina. He wanted to play this game, eh? Well, all right then. I would play.

Because Jaina Solo didn't lose.


	7. Chapter 6

Back to Kyp!

* * *

Chapter 6

As soon as the door slid shut, I pulled myself up from the floor. My legs nearly buckled from underneath me and my head whirled with dizziness. Seems I still wasn't back to full strength yet, so I quickly made my way to the bed and lowered myself onto the edge.

"What the sith just happened?" I asked myself out loud. I replayed the last few minutes in my mind. _Jaina came in…we argued…we kissed…she got mad and threw me across the room_. Then I did it again. _Jaina came in…we argued…we kissed---_

"Oh my gosh!" I said, running my hand back through my tangled mess of hair. "We just _kissed_!" The import of those words and that action hit me full force and I flopped back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening!" I sat back up and put my face in my hands. How had I lost control of the situation? Whatever the answer, I needed to regain some control and I needed to do it right now.

Okay…deep breath…and…now…_think_.

Jaina had kidnapped me…sort of…and all because she thought I was going to marry Li'andra. At the thought, I laughed out loud. _Not_ in a million years! But not that Li' hadn't suggested it. In fact, she and I were discussing that very thing at her country house when the urgent message, which I now knew had been from Jaina, commed through to me. I thought it was strangely worded---

_Durron,_

_Important info—need to meet now---outside in gardens---TELL NO ONE._

I should have taken more time to question its origins, but the Council had been waiting and hoping for a breakthrough in the _Alpha Red_ case and it seemed our informant might give us exactly the intell we needed. I couldn't miss the opportunity.

So I made my apologies to Li'andra, despite her anger at being pushed aside, grabbed my cloak, and left. Again, I should have sensed something was amiss when I walked out into the gardens. Something had been off-kilter, and too late I realized it was Jaina. She had seemed…_different_…determined. And when she pulled out a blaster and shot me, well, need I say more? I was stunned, in more ways than one.

Which led me to my current predicament.

I was stuck on her ship because of a misunderstanding. I'd have to talk to Li' about that when I got back. But when would that be? I didn't even know where I was or even what time it was. Jaina refused to tell me where we were going and she refused to return to Denon. And to top it all off, I had just kissed her.

What was I thinking! Kissing Jaina Solo was the last thing I needed to be doing. She made me want things I knew I couldn't have. She had always had that kind of power over me. I don't know how many times in the past I had looked at her and Jag Fel wishing that it was me she was with and, at the same time, chiding myself for even entertaining the thought. Not only was she way too young, but she was also the daughter of my dearest friend, the man who was the closest thing to family I had left.

What must she think of me? I had come close on several occasions, some even recently, where I had nearly let my emotions and desires concerning her get out of hand. In the past, she had been quick to squash any advances I made, but lately, since her return, things had been…_different_. She seemed more open, more receptive to our friendship. She touched more, smiled more, and seemed surer of herself in a softer way than she had as a young woman. I could even swear that sometimes when she looked at me I saw a hint of desire shining in her own eyes. But I quickly dismissed it as my wild imagination.

One instance popped into my mind immediately.

She had been back for about three weeks, maybe longer. We were both working long hours together for the Jedi Council, and I was finding it quite enjoyable. Jaina had a great sense of humor and she was smart as a whip. It didn't take her any time at all to do the required background research for her new position on the Council, and soon she was accompanying me to meetings, able to discuss issues as well as any other member. Must have been those Leia genes.

We were already comfortable with one another again, just like when we had flown with our Force bond during the war, but better. She wasn't trying to be the dominant one all the time now. She realized she still had a lot to learn and wasn't afraid to cede some of the control to me. I could see how much she had grown as a person in the last five years, and I liked her even more, if that was possible. Jaina had always been one of the only people I truly liked and respected, in spite of her youthful arrogance. I could see a bit of me in her, perhaps, which connected us---and I didn't connect to many people.

It was a nice change to have a true friend back in my life. But all the while I kept trying to ignore my ever-burgeoning attraction to her. Five years had been good to her, in many ways. One of which was her physical appearance. She was still short, and I liked that. But what I liked even more was the way she had matured into full-blown womanhood…curves in all the right places and then some. I caught myself staring at her various _attributes_ on more than one occasion, and she noticed me a couple of times herself. I immediately blew it off or changed the subject, but Force! I couldn't stop! To me, she was the epitome of what a woman should be--- strong and yet soft when and where she needed to be.

I scolded myself for letting my thoughts stray so far down that particular path. I knew Jaina didn't think of me in such a way, she had made that clear years ago. So by harboring such silly notions I was only hurting myself. Could I be around her and keep my feelings hidden? Sure. Hadn't I done it for years already?

But then there was the night we went flying…or should I say, the night we were _going_ to go flying? See, we never really made it off the ground.

* * *

When she walked towards my starship in that little black number, I couldn't help myself. I whistled. It escaped my lips before I knew what was happening. Of course, I tried to play it cool and said something like, "Wow! You clean up great," or some other lame comment. But she blew me away! (Again…curves in right places…)

After we finished eating, we popped open the Corellian brandy she'd brought. I tried desperately to ignore how romantic the atmosphere was, how gorgeous she looked, how warm and fuzzy I was starting to feel after the second glass. Let me say, it wasn't easy. A couple of times, when she looked at me, I could have sworn her eyes were practically begging me to kiss her. But this was Jaina Solo. If I thought she wanted me to kiss her, then I was losing my mind. No, I pushed those thoughts as far back into my mind and heart as possible.

"So," she said, her pretty face flushed, "are we going to fly this thing or what?" Then she sipped the remaining bit of her glass and sat it on the table.

"Let's do it," I stated, swigging down the last gulp of my own glass. I stood and held out a hand to help her up. I must have pulled a little too hard because she practically smacked into my chest so I put my arms around her to help steady her. Bad move. When my hands made contact with her bare back, I felt my mouth go dry.

She giggled (unusual for Jaina), and swayed trying to regain her balance. "Sorry," she apologized as she looked up at me from her place in my arms.

"That—that's okay," I mumbled, quickly getting a grip on myself and setting her a safe distance away from me. "The cockpit's this way," I said, motioning for her to walk back down the corridor we came through. Letting her go in front of me was another bad move. Watching her walk, hips swaying femininely, that bare skin begging me to reach out and touch it--- it was so wrong. I chose to blame it on the brandy and forced myself to stop.

When we reached the cockpit, I stood and observed her reaction. Her slender hands glided across the unusual Sekotan instruments in awe, her obvious respect for my ship secretly pleasing me. Li'andra had been on my ship only once, informing me afterwards that she would prefer to not come back again. Seems it creeped her out, the whole living ship thing. But not Jaina. She knew the importance of this ship to me and appreciated it for the wonder it was. I smiled from my place in the doorway.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful she was, Kyp," she said smiling, her eyes sparkling in delight. "And I'll admit it. I am still a bit jealous that you got one and I didn't." I loved when that spark of mischief flashed across her face. It meant that she was just about to surprise me with something unexpected. I watched as she took the few steps required to bring her directly in front of me, mere inches separating us. She reached out and started playing with the buttons on my shirt. "But I won't hold it against you as long as you let me fly with you." As she said it, her eyes never left mine, and at that moment, I would have promised her my very soul had she asked for it.

"You know you can borrow her whenever you want, Jaina," I said quietly.

She smiled and added, "But it wouldn't be any fun to do it alone, Kyp. It would be so much better if we did it _together_."

Was I hearing her correctly? Or were my fantasies now creeping out of my dreams and into my waking moments? Had to be the brandy…_had_ to be.

But then she was still gazing up at me, those dark eyes setting me on fire and I felt myself being pulled even closer to her, my mouth lowering nearer and nearer to hers. I was going to kiss her, and by the look of things, she was going to let me. Time seemed to slow down. My heart was pounding, desperate to claim her as mine, but my mind was resisting. This was Jaina! She didn't feel this way about me…or did she?

I paused, our lips separated by a scant sliver of air, hovering expectantly. I waited for her to pull away, to smack me or laugh at me…anything. But she didn't. So, I moved in the remainder of the way, our lips barely brushing against each other. And then---

_Bzzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzzz!_

I jolted back, lost in a fog of desire, and it took a moment to clear my head.

_Bzzzzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzzzz!_

It was my ship's security alarm. Someone was outside. Jaina's forehead was leaning on my chest and I thought I heard a curse slip quietly from her lips. (Probably chiding herself for what we almost did.) "What is _that_?" she said, sounding surprisingly angry.

I moved over to a control board and checked. "It's my security alarm. It was just alerting me that someone's outside trying to get in." I punched a button to turn off the alarm and turned back to Jaina. "I'll just go see who it is. It might be one of the hangar guards or mechanics. I'll only be a minute." We stood looking at one another for a few seconds. I didn't want to leave her there, but I knew I better before I did something more foolish.

Then she smiled and it took my breath away.

"One minute and then you'll be right back?" she asked, once again finding the buttons on my shirt of interest. "Because I really want to talk to you about something…_important_. Okay?"

I breathed in deeply. "Okay." Then I kissed the top of her head and walked out of the cockpit.

As I journeyed to the entrance ramp, my heart nearly skipped a beat. Was this really happening? Did I really just kiss Jaina? The touch of our lips had been way too brief. I wanted to tell whomever it was to 'kiss off' so that I could get back to that cockpit and see if I had only been dreaming or if Jaina Solo was actually waiting there for me.

I hit the button to lower the ramp, tapping my foot impatiently. "Come on, come on, come on!" I muttered. When it hit the hangar floor with a soft bang, I took a few steps down and stopped dead in my tracks.

It _wasn't_ a mechanic.

"Li'andra? What are you doing here?"

"I'm happy to see you, too, Kyp, darling."

Li'andra stood at the bottom of the entrance ramp and smiled confidently. She was looking impeccably beautiful, as always--- hair in perfect place, clothes in all the latest fashions, tailor-made to fit. Having grown up in a wealthy family she was used to getting everything she wanted whenever she wanted it, and seeing her here made me realize I was just another _'thing'_ she wanted. Knowing how she disliked my alien ship, I had a hunch she came for some other reason---and, I also knew that whatever it was would somehow have to be beneficial to her.

However, my mind was back in that cockpit where Jaina was waiting for me. I was dying to know what important thing she needed to talk to me about. Apparently, I took too long to respond because the smile faded and Li'andra put her hands on her hips.

"Aren't you going to ask me in? I did come all the way down here to see you and you know how I hate these kinds of places." She glanced around and wrinkled her nose at the smell of metal and grease.

"What are you doing here?" I asked again. "You don't even like my ship." I tried not to sound irritated, but didn't succeed. She looked at me curiously, then frowned, not used to my curt tone. Li'andra was a woman accustomed to being treated with kid gloves. She didn't like that I made her presence seem unwanted.

But it was.

She pushed ahead anyway.

"Well, I haven't seen you in nearly two weeks." She came closer and placed her hand on my chest. "I missed you," she said enticingly, looking up at me through her long, lush lashes. It struck me suddenly how her pale blue eyes I had once thought so pretty now seemed colorless and cold as ice. Jaina's were so different--- dark, vibrant, warm, intriguing. There were depths to Jaina that I had yet to delve into, unlike Li'.

Li'andra's motivations and desires were no mystery. Many would describe her as shallow, me included. On the other hand, she was a woman who knew what she wanted and brazenly stopped at nothing to get it. I liked her well enough, enjoyed her company, for the most part. But I would never fully trust her or respect her as much as I did Jaina. Li'andra and I had an…_understanding_. I accompanied her to public gatherings, my position on the Jedi Council lending credibility to her bid for political power, which she deserved as much as any other bureaucrat. She was politically gifted, and did, for the most part, want to help her home world as it continued to rebuild from the war. However, at the base of all of her actions was the hope of some sort of personal gain. It wasn't the most noble of attitudes, but I understood her.

What I had never totally figured out was what _I_ reaped from our relationship besides the obvious physical attraction. Maybe being seen with a woman of such a high status in society somehow made me feel more accepted after the many mistakes of my past. Let's be honest. I could do with some positive PR. Or perhaps simply having the attention of such an attractive woman was my motivation. Force knew I'd never been much of a success in the romance department. Years spent feeling unworthy of being loved due to bad choices had left me pretty much a loner. My love life—and I use that term _loosely_—consisted of a brief encounter with an older woman and, more recently, years spent in confusion about a woman who was much too young.

Only now, she wasn't so young. Plus, she was waiting on my ship, wearing a delightfully slinky dress, flushed and mellow from a fine brandy, and we had just sort-of kissed.

"Didn't you miss me?" Li'andra asked, pouting playfully.

I refocused on the woman in front of me. "Um, yeah, sure." _What had she just said?_ "How did you know I was here?" I asked, changing the subject.

She started tracing circles on my chest, a move that might have worked to sway me some other time…but not tonight.

"I called your office earlier. Your assistant told me you mentioned coming here when you filed your meeting report."

_Mental note:_ Talk to Mikel first thing tomorrow about his _big_ _mouth_.

A glint sparked in her frigid eyes and she inched even closer. "I thought maybe we could go back to my place for dinner. On'ri is making your favorite," she cooed persuasively. She knew I was a sucker for her chef's braised nerf tenderloin.

But not this time.

"Sorry, Li'. I already ate," I said.

"Oh," she stammered, and for the first time I saw her confidence waver. Not for long though. Her wheels were already spinning, altering her plan to regain control. "Well," she stretched out, "we don't necessarily have to _eat_." Her suggestive expression revealed her true intentions. She needed attention…namely mine since I hadn't been around to lavish her with any lately.

I glanced back up the ramp into my ship. Had it been anyone else waiting inside and I would have gone with Li'andra. We enjoyed each other and her offer was tempting. But it wasn't just anyone up there in that cockpit. It was Jaina. For some crazy reason, I always seemed to put her first and maybe I always would. She would forever hold a piece of my heart—the biggest piece actually---, and even though I knew she would never reciprocate those feelings, it somehow didn't matter.

I looked back at Li'andra and grabbed her hands. "As tempting as that sounds, I was kind of _busy_ right now. I appreciate your coming all the way down here, though. Why don't I call you tomorrow and we'll set up a time to go to lunch." I owed her that much.

She stared at me as if unable to believe that I was refusing her.

"Kyp, is everything all right down here?"

I flinched at the sound of Jaina's voice. Li'andra's eyes moved to focus behind me. "_Busy_, huh?" she spat contemptuously, and when I turned around I noticed Jaina wore the same perturbed expression.

"_Not_ a mechanic, I see," Jaina stated taking the last few steps down the ramp.

Li'andra raked an assessing gaze over Jaina in her uncharacteristic outfit and then pasted on an artificial smile. "Hello, Jeannie."

"It's Jaina," I muttered, gaining an annoyed look from both women.

"Jaina, you look so…unlike yourself," Li'andra said, sidling up close to me and sliding her arm through mine. "It's a shame they didn't have that dress in your size. A perfect fit makes all the difference."

Alarms blared in my head. Provoking Jaina Solo was not a wise move, and I could sense her anger start to build. Images of her mowing down Vong during the war flashed in my mind. Would I have to protect Li' from her?

Surprisingly, Jaina reined herself in and replied calmly. "Well, we can't all spend our days being fitted for such fine attire, but we do what we can." She glanced at Li's arm through mine, and for a brief moment I thought I saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes.

"I was just inviting Kyp back to my place for dinner, but it seems you beat me to it," Li'andra said looking up at me, refusing to let go of my arm. "But I am not going to take no for an answer, Kyp. You simply must come and have a drink at least. It's been far too long since we spent time together." Then she glanced back over to Jaina. "I'm sure your little friend needs to go home and get her beauty sleep."

Jaina's shoulders tensed and her back went rigid. The muscles in her jaw clenched and her dark eyes flashed. Here it comes, I thought. I was going to have to peel Li'andra from the wall on the far side of the hangar. I braced for it…

But it never came. She simply stared at me, her eyes questioning, only I wasn't sure what she was asking. Jaina took a deep breath, and then her shoulders slumped just the slightest bit.

"As a matter of fact, I was getting ready to leave."

She was! I stared at her in bewilderment not understanding the sudden change. Jaina Solo was backing down? Giving up? Refusing to fight? Was I dreaming?

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kyp. Enjoy the rest of the brandy," she said, a sad smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

And then she was gone.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7— 

So, yeah, I lost that round against Li'andra—but only because I refused to fight. Oh, I was tempted…tempted to wipe that smug grin off of her face with the heel of my shoe or maybe separate her from Kyp's side using my lightsaber. However, my reacting like that former, more impulsive Jaina might not have done much to help matters.

Not that they were all that great now.

Anyway, seeing her standing there so possessive and triumphant, and seeing Kyp standing there in confusion was suddenly more than I could bear. I paused to give him a chance to send her away, to declare his decision to stay with me. After all, hadn't we just shared a special moment back on board his ship?

Only he didn't make a grand declaration of his devotion to me. Instead, he just stood there like an idiot, not knowing whom to choose. Like there was any comparison between us! _Please!_ Well, sure, she was blatantly gorgeous in an obvious _'look at me, world'_ kind of way… filthy, stinking rich…and increasingly powerful in the world of galactic politics.

But the real question was this—despite what everyone else thought of her, was she better in Kyp's eyes than me? Unfortunately, I didn't know the answer to that right then, and, for the first time, I felt completely inadequate.

It wasn't a good feeling.

So I decided my best course of action was to retreat and regroup. Figuring out my next move, or if there should even _be_ a next move, was essential. My unexpectedly fragile pride sucked it up and left him there with the other woman--- and my brandy.

Yeah, I know…I should have taken _that_ with me.

* * *

My mind came back to the present. Checking the navigation controls, I noted that we would soon be exiting hyperspace near my intended destination. What seemed so logical a week ago suddenly seemed foolish and ill-conceived---doomed to failure.

Kyp wasn't cooperating, and that little snafu wasn't part of my plan.

A frustrating pattern was developing. When we would start to get close, close enough that I felt I could reveal my feelings to him, then--- _BAM!—_he would pull away and act like it never happened. After that last kiss back in my cabin I thought for certain that it was all coming together. The way he looked at me made my heart flutter; his hand on my face was so warm and gentle; and his lips…_sigh_…. Let's just say, the man could kiss! I raised my fingers to my mouth and touched my lips, imagining I could still feel his mouth on mine. It had felt so right. It _was_ right, and I knew it down to the depths of my soul. Surely Kyp did, too. So why did he keep resisting?

He wasn't making much sense lately, anyway. After than night on his ship, the night Li'andra gave me good reason to truly hate her, things got…_weird_. It was as if Kyp did a 180 in his attitude toward me. Oh, he was still polite and respectful to me, but any closeness we had shared was suddenly…_gone_. He avoided me at work by assigning me to tasks and meetings completely different from his. Apart from seeing him come in and out of the offices periodically, I went weeks with barely any interaction, our new schedules totally at odds with one another.

Outside of Council duties wasn't any better. He always managed to have plans of some sort or another, many including my arch-nemesis. What in the world had happened that night after I left him alone with her at his ship? Had they shared a good laugh at how foolish I had been coming there hoping to seduce him? Why had he suddenly changed into a Kyp I didn't know or understand?

Those questions ate at me day after day, the uncertainty nearly driving me insane. Once upon a time, I thought Kyp had tender feelings for me, ones that could even maybe turn into love. Even that very night on his ship I could have sworn he was feeling the same way. So, what happened? What had I done wrong?

To be honest, there were a few nights I cried myself to sleep… _me_… Jaina Solo… daughter of Han and Leia, heroes of the Rebellion…niece of Luke Skywalker, famed Jedi Master… Sword of the Jedi… Trickster Goddess of the Yuuzhan Vong War. What the hell was wrong with me! Why was I losing it over Kyp Durron? He wasn't so special.

Who was I kidding? No one, that's who. Not even me.

So one morning, after too many weeks of being ignored and living in defeat, I woke up and decided that I had cried enough tears. I was _Jaina-freakin'-Solo_, for Force sakes! It was time for action. As soon as I got to the office, Kyp and I were going to have a nice little talk whether it was on his schedule or not.

The decision to act freed me… bolstered my confidence back up to where it usually was.

Li'andra _who_?

I strode into the office waiting area, my chin up, a smile on my face. Mikel was already there, as always. He had become my assistant, too, until I could find someone else. I nodded at him as I said good morning.

"Good morning, Mikel," I said confidently. "I'll be in Kyp's office for a while. Please hold all of our calls and don't let anyone interrupt."

He had this strange, uncomfortable look on his face. "Are you okay?" I asked, narrowing my gaze.

"Um, I'm fine, Miss Solo, but, um, Master Durron isn't in yet—" he stuttered nervously.

"Oh, that's okay. I'll just wait for him in his office." No way was I letting this opportunity slip away. I started for his door, but Mikel's next words stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Um, you have a…_visitor_ waiting for you in your office, Miss Solo."

I turned and raised an eyebrow. "A visitor?"

He nodded and I thought I noticed a hint of fear in his eyes. Just then, my office door slid open to reveal my _special guest_.

"Good morning, Jaina. We need to talk."

A scowl automatically curled my lip and I felt my hackles rise. There in front of me was my enemy, so to speak. My hand instinctively went for my lightsaber, but luckily, I stopped myself before unclipping it. During the war, life was much simpler. Come face to face with your enemy and you'd better be quicker on the draw than him. This type of foe was much more deadly. I was going to have to use my wits, Force help me.

"Li'andra," I stated contemptuously, pushing past her into my office. "I don't think we have anything to talk about." I busied myself at my desk hoping she would get the hint and leave. If she was still here when Kyp showed up, my plan to confront him would be ruined…_again_.

She was evil.

I heard her sneer and I took a deep, calming breath. "Oh, but I think we do, dear." Then she pushed the button to close my door. I simply stared at her in disbelief as she sauntered back over to my desk. "May I sit down?" she said in that syrupy sweet voice of hers. I gestured for her to take a seat on the other side of the desk and then eased slowly into mine. She waited for me to settle in and then placed her hands in her lap, smiling that oversized phony grin of hers.

I sighed and leaned my elbows on the top of the desk. "What did you want to talk about? I have other_… things_ to attend to. Unlike some people, I actually _work_ for a living."

She chuckled derisively. "Poor you. I just thought it was time for us to get to know one another better."

"_Why?"_ I asked with a snort. Then I glared at her to make my meaning clear. "Li'andra, let's be serious for a moment. I quite honestly don't care to know you any better than I already do, and I'm willing to bet that you feel the same way. You're not here to make friends with me, so say what it is you have to say and then get out."

Whoa! Where had that come from? I think I was channeling my father there for a minute. Mom would have been much more diplomatic, but I didn't have time for diplomacy. Besides, I wasn't quite sure I was as skilled at it as Li'andra or my mother, so I figured I would play things the way most comfortable for me…_head on._

By the look on her face, she hadn't been expecting such forthrightness. What a shame.

"Well," she stammered, "I…suppose you're right." It must have hurt for her to admit that.

Good.

"All right then. Let me get right to my point."

"Please do," I interjected, receiving a sharp glare in response.

"Jaina, darling, you need to give up this silly pursuit of Kyp. It's pointless and is making you look quite the fool."

I felt my nostrils flare as I clenched my jaw together tightly. I didn't trust myself to speak, much less move, so I stayed silent. She, on the other hand, kept right on talking.

"I know that you were relatively close during the war. Kyp told me about you, how you worked together, how he helped you through a bad time, looked after you like a…a _little sister_. You were quite young, right? I also know that he feels very obligated to your father and that looking out for you falls into that same category in his mind.

"But, Jaina, sweetheart, you're a big girl now. You don't need to be looked after anymore. Unfortunately, Kyp doesn't see that. He still sees you as that young girl he mentored and protected, and feels that with you back in his life, he needs to resume that role.

"Kyp and I have become, as I'm sure you know, very close over the past few years. Our relationship has evolved over time to something different than originally intended. I find that I am quite fond of him, more so than I ever expected, and the thought of not having him in my life is simply…unbearable.

"Since your arrival here, matters have been strained between Kyp and me. He's been spending so much time making sure you are comfortable and attended to, that our relationship has suffered."

At this she paused and glared menacingly at me.

"_That_ is unacceptable."

Well, well, well. The girl definitely had some nerve. I was sort of impressed…or would have been had I not been so steamed. But after taking a second to think about what she was saying, I found I couldn't stifle a smug smirk.

"Feeling threatened?" I asked.

She huffed. "By _you_? Hardly."

"Not what it sounds like," I said, leaning back into my chair confidently. "Sounds like you're feeling the heat of competition and it's getting too hot for you to handle."

"_Competition_?" she repeated incredulously. "_You_ are no competition for me, Jaina Solo. Kyp might be oblivious to your true intent towards him, but I'm not. But make no mistake…I am a woman who always gets what she wants."

"Me, too. So now what?" I challenged.

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. I could tell she really wanted to get back at me, badly.

"Now, you give up. Make it clear that you are only friends and stop muddling his mind. That is, if you really do care for him. How long did it take for you to contact him after the war, exactly? Five months? Oh, no, it was five _years_, wasn't it?"

Ouch. That hurt.

"Tell me, Jaina, would you even have searched Kyp out if your uncle hadn't summoned you here for the Jedi Council? How long before you're tired of being here, tired of Kyp again?"

I slowly rose from my chair and pointed an accusing finger right at her. Then I spoke in a low enough voice that she would have to listen very closely to hear me.

"You don't know anything about Kyp and me. And if you think you know him better than I do, then you are dead wrong. Your shallow mind couldn't possibly comprehend what we've been through…what we share and always will. And if you think I'm going to just give up and leave him to _you_, then you have no idea who you're dealing with. We're done talking."

Li'andra was actually speechless for a minute, but she finally stood to face me as I moved from around the desk. I was going to make sure she left…one way or another.

"Well," she huffed arrogantly, "not exactly what I would expect from the daughter of the famed Leia Organa Solo or a member of the Jedi Council."

"Thought I would bend over and take it, did you?" I asked with a sneer. "Sweetheart," I added in my own mockingly kind voice, "I'm a Solo, and Solos don't bend over for anybody."

Dad would be so proud.

Li'andra wrinkled her nose in disgust. "How…_crude_." Then she turned and started for the door. I was feeling rather victorious, which would make up for the last few weeks of wallowing in self-defeat.

Then she stopped and turned to face me one more time.

"By the way," she started, "Kyp and I are getting married soon. Forgive me if you're not invited to the wedding."

Then she left.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8—(Kyp)

Women.

I'd never understand them.

Ever.

Jaina Solo was the most contrary, frustrating female in the entire galaxy. I stared at the door of the cabin on board the _Jedi Sabre_ and tried to untangle the intricate web of her actions over the past couple of months. I was happy to have her back in my life. She was the closest friend I had and had been for years. I know she looked upon me the same way…a close friend. I was like a comfortable old shoe to her, someone she could depend on to always be there for her no matter what.

But sometimes she confused me. If I didn't know better, I would maybe think she wanted more from me than friendship. But that was wishful thinking. Surely, it was simply like Li'andra had explained to me that night on my ship.

Jaina and I had kissed that night, although it had been only a brief brush of our lips. When she left me standing there with Li'andra, I wrote it off as what she surely saw it as…a big mistake. Too much brandy and a cozy, romantic atmosphere led us both to do things we wouldn't do normally. I was embarrassed I let it get that far, that I made such a silly presumption as to think she wanted me to kiss her in the first place. She was just lonely for some company…stressed out from work…homesick for something familiar. If I tried to pursue those thoughts about Jaina, I would only end up getting hurt like I had all those years ago.

And I refused to let that happen.

I would not put myself, or Jaina, in a position where she had to choose between me and someone else. That would always be a losing battle for me. And I was too old for those kinds of feelings and desires. I needed to content myself with what I had… my position on the Council and Jaina…_as a friend._

But friend or not I wasn't going to take her treatment of me lying down. We both had responsibilities now, regardless of how she felt about Li'andra. I knew the two did not like one another, but I guess I never banked on such intense loathing. True, Jaina had, for some crazy reason, believed I was marrying Li'andra, but what was she thinking shooting me and hauling me off to Force only knew where?

Good question. _Where_ was I going? And what was she going to do with me when we got there? And what about that kiss? Once could be called a mistake, but since I'd been on board her ship, it had happened again two or was it three times? I was losing count.

Something strange was going on and I wanted more answers. This time she wouldn't have a choice.

I shrugged on my shirt, hastily buttoning it up halfway. Then, with a quick wave of my hand, the door slid open and I tromped toward the cockpit with purposeful strides. It didn't take long to get there. I paused in the doorway and glared at the back of her head as she pretended to be busy at the instrument panel. She refused to look at me, but she did speak.

"I'm not talking to you," she stated flatly, still not acknowledging my presence with a glance.

"Oh, yes…you are," I replied firmly, stomping inside to stop right in front of her. I towered over her seated form and she couldn't help but look at me then.

"You're in my way," she said. "And besides, I have nothing to say to you."

This was the Jaina I remembered…stubborn as a Menos mule and fiery as a Mustafar sunset. "I think you do," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

She stood up, the top of her head barely coming to my chin. Even though she was still just a little slip of a thing, she managed to look halfway intimidating.

"No, really, I don't," she answered, her nostrils flaring in defiance. "Look," she said, poking a finger into my chest, "if you want to ruin your life by hooking up in whatever twisted, disgusting, little way with _Miss-Kiss-the-Ground-I-Walk-On_, then go right ahead. I was only trying to be a good friend since I lo-lo--," she stopped herself to recover from whatever she was about to say. Her finger dropped and she clenched her jaw. "If you want to go back, that's fine." Now she was talking sense. We didn't have time to be wasting. "When I stop to refuel, you can hitch a ride back to Denon and your beloved Li'andra. There now. Happy? Conversation over."

Then she pushed past me to check on another set of controls, and once again it was as if I didn't exist. Oh, the memories. Visions of a rooftop picnic with her and Jag Fel flashed through my mind. Never had I been so humiliated as when Jaina, upstart teenager, made it painfully clear that she was off-limits, in front of her upstart young boyfriend.

Hitch a ride? Conversation over? Not quite! Suddenly, it all became clear to me. I plopped down into the co-pilot's chair and propped my long legs up onto the console.

"I think Li' was right about you," I ventured, refusing to be ignored. And it worked. I noticed her hands cease immediately and her back stiffen.

"Oh, yeah?" she said, not turning to face me.

"Yes. You, Jaina Solo, are selfish and spoiled."

_That_ got her attention. Not only was she now facing me, but she was mere inches from my face. I could see the flames dancing in her dark eyes.

"She said that about me!" she yelled.

I slid my legs off of the panel and stood. It was about time all of this came out into the open. When Li'andra had explained her observations to me about Jaina that night on my ship, I hadn't wanted to listen, probably because deep down, I knew it was true.

"Sure did," I continued, anger now fueling me. "And I can see it now. You were so afraid that someone else was going to take my attention away from you that you decided to kidnap me. I've just always been there for you, loyal and dependable…your whipping boy. You didn't want me as anything more, yet you couldn't stand the thought of not having me around lavishing you with attention. Jag was out of the picture and you were feeling the need to lead someone else around by the nose. So you thought_, 'Hey! There's always Kyp. He'll always be around. He doesn't have anyone else, so I'll just go hang out with him for a while…or at least until something better comes along._' Right?" I asked, almost enjoying the astonished look on her face. Why hadn't I realized it before? It was so obvious, just like Li'andra said. It had only taken Li' a few weeks to figure Jaina out. In my case, it had taken years.

Jaina was just using me.

_Sith_, the truth hurt!

After a few moments of silence, Jaina finally responded…and surprisingly she was rather calm. "She said all those things about me?"

I nodded an affirmative.

"And you believe her?" she asked, an unfamiliar expression changing her face. She almost looked…sad, as I stared at her in silence.

"Do you believe those things about me, Kyp?" she repeated.

My confidence was wavering, but I didn't want her to know it. "I said them, didn't I?" I answered.

She stared deeply into my eyes, sizing me up, searching for something, though I didn't know what.

"Then you're not the man I thought you were."

Suddenly, an alert sounded and she turned to locate the source. It was an incoming message from Denon. She pushed a few buttons, and, in a moment, Kenth Hamner's voice sounded in the cockpit.

"Jaina, I'm glad I got a hold of you. Do you by chance know where Kyp is? I've been trying to reach you both all day."

"I'm here, Kenth," I chimed in.

"_Kyp_?" he replied, the surprise evident in his voice. "You two are… _together_?"

"Yeah, well, long story," I added. Jaina looked at me curiously, wondering, I'm sure, if I would reveal how exactly we had ended up together. And I did…from a certain point of view. "We, uh, heard a rumor about the Alpha Red case and decided to check it out," I explained, hoping the Force wouldn't strike me down for stretching the truth a little.

Kenth seemed satisfied and continued.

"Well, good, because that's exactly why I'm calling. We have had a major breakthrough in the Alpha Red case. Dif Scaur has been located on Nar Shaddaa and our information tells us he's negotiating a deal to sell the plans for the formula. I don't need to tell you how devastating it could be if Alha Red is produced again and released into any world's environment. We already witnessed the consequences during the latter years of the war, if you recall. However, despite the proven negative effects, many people see it as a last resort to rid their worlds of those lingering pockets of hostile Yuuzhan Vong. And still others hope to modify Alpha Red so it can be used on their race of choice…the ultimate weapon.

"We've been tracking Scaur since he was removed from his position with intelligence, assuming he would eventually try something like this. I suppose he thinks it's been long enough since the war ended that it's safe now to sell his secrets. I'm sure you'll both agree, he has to be stopped. So, Kyp, as head of the Council, our next move is your call."

How was that for snapping you back to reality? I took a deep breath and looked at Jaina. All the animosity of only minutes before was pushed aside as we both focused solely on the objective at hand. With a quick nod from her, I knew that she would do whatever needed to be done to stop Dif Scaur from selling Alpha Red.

"You're right, Kenth," I said. "He does have to be stopped. Since Jaina and I are already on the move, we'll take this one. Just send the coordinates of his location and the necessary details to Jaina's ship's computer. I'll contact you when we get there."

"You got it," Kenth replied, "and may the Force be with you both. Hamner out."

Jaina flipped off the communicator and sank back into the pilot's chair. "Wow. The thought of what could happen…it's frightening."

"You're not kidding," I added.

Another beep sounded alerting us that the information Kenth promised had arrived. She checked the readout and I noticed the amused arch of her eyebrows. "How original. They're meeting on Nar Shaddaa, the Smuggler's Moon. I've never been there, but Dad has told me plenty of stories."

"Yeah, well, I've been there and you're not missing anything. It's the armpit of the galaxy. But I suppose it makes sense that Scaur would go there. Their motto is 'What happens on Nar Shaddaa, stays on Nar Shaddaa.'"

"Nice," she added with a chuckle.

"The people who go there aren't sightseeing. You only go there if you have illegal business to conduct or you want to get lost for a while," I explained, staring off into space.

Jaina looked at me with a smirk. "So, which was it for you?"

The question caught me totally off-guard. I had not talked about that dark period of my life with anyone and I didn't want to now. Knowing Jaina, if I didn't answer, she'd find out somehow anyway. I decided to give her enough to quench her curiosity for now and hope she dropped the subject.

"I did a bit of soul searching after I…after my brother died. I needed to get away for a while, somewhere I wouldn't be judged every time I walked outside."

She glanced away uncomfortably. Yeah, I had made some pretty bad mistakes in my life.

"That was a rough time for you, wasn't it?" she asked. "I remember Dad trying to explain it all to me."

I stared at her. "You couldn't have been more than three or four, and you remember that?" I was surprised.

"Well, you have to remember, I _was_ advanced for my age." Then she smiled, that gorgeous, lopsided Solo type of grin, and I suddenly regretted our earlier argument. Maybe I had been wrong to believe Li'andra.

Yes, I was once again confused by Jaina Solo. One minute she's yelling at me, then she's near tears, and now she was joking around. My head hurt from trying to figure her out.

I'd do it later.

"So, you better get this ship turned around and head for Nar Shaddaa," I suggested, perusing the readout of information she passed to me. "We've got four days to get there and set up operations." I waited for her to agree, and, when she didn't, I put down the flimsiplast printout and glanced over at her. She had this odd expression on her face… as if she were guilty or embarrassed. "You are going to Nar Shaddaa, right?"

"Well, yeah," she said, "just not right now. We've got to refuel first or we'll never make it that far. I kind of forgot to fill up before we left. I was under a lot of stress," she explained sheepishly.

"You have got to be kidding," I laughed, as I began to massage my throbbing temples. "What? You could remember to bring a blaster to stun me with, but you couldn't remember to fill up! Typical female," I mumbled shaking my head in disbelief. Guess I shouldn't have said that.

The look she shot me could have killed and reminded me that she wasn't very happy with me to begin with. She opened her mouth to let me have it, but then closed it, took a deep breath and calmed herself. Finally, she spoke.

"Get out of my cockpit," she demanded quietly. "No, let me rephrase that. It would really be to your benefit and mine if you would go back to the cabin and stay out of my way. We'll be stopping to refuel in about two hours. Once we're finished, we'll be on our merry way to Nar Shaddaa. In the meantime, you could make yourself useful and go over those readouts from Kenth. Come up with a game plan for us. But for now, I really need to be away from you."

Wow. She said all that without raising her voice. Impressive.

Part of me wanted to argue. I was the higher up, here…for a change. She had no right to order me around, but something told me that I'd better leave. We were, after all, on her ship, even though, in my case, it was not by choice. So, I made a smart move for once.

I left.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9—

* * *

I waited until I was sure Kyp was gone. Then I stood there alone in my cockpit and screamed. When I finally ran out of breath, I sighed, fell back into the chair and ran a hand back through my hair.

What the _sith_ had I been thinking! That's right. From now on, _screw_ destiny and this whole silly notion I had of romance and fated love! It was too much trouble---too painful. He wasn't supposed to be fighting against me. He was supposed to be cooperating and falling madly in love with me---not listening to a bunch of lies from that high-class tramp.

The idea that she said all of those horrible things about me didn't really hurt much. It was to be expected from the likes of Li'andra S'ynclair. But the thought of him _believing _all of those terrible things---how could he? How _dare_ he!

Well, at least now I understood why he had been avoiding me for the past few weeks. It was all _her_ fault. So, knowing what I did now, why did I continue to believe that he and I were meant to be together?

I sighed again.

I knew why.

It was the dream.

I had dreamed the same one every night since Li'andra's _joyous_ visit to my office. The first few nights I wrote it off as my subconscious trying to rescue the tattered shreds of my self-esteem. However, when it continued to invade my nights, I knew there was more to it…the Force.

Even now, sitting in my cockpit staring out into hyperspace, I could visualize it like a holovid.

_Blackness. That's all I see at first. It surrounds me on every side and I'm a little frightened. Then I hear a voice just as a tiny ray of light slashes through the darkness._

"_Jaina, come back to the light. Come back to me."_

_I recognize the distinctly masculine voice. It's Kyp. My eyes look towards the sliver of light and my body tries to follow, but I stop when I hear a cry, a muffled sob. Out of nowhere, right in front of me appears a young man huddled on the ground weeping uncontrollably. His face is buried in his hands when I first approach. All I can see is his tangled mess of long, dark hair._

"_Are you okay?" I ask and I know before he even looks up that it is Kyp, years younger. The pain and sorrow etched on his face are heart wrenching, so I kneel down to comfort him._

"_I didn't mean to do it!" he pleads. "I only wanted to---they took my parents---the mines---so dark---my brother---I didn't mean to! You've got to believe me! Please, believe me!"_

_He looks as if one more rejection will put him over the edge, so I put my arm around his shoulder and pull him close. His head willingly rests on my shoulder as if he's been hungrily waiting for someone to embrace him just like this._

"_I believe you," I whisper to the top of his head. "I believe you."_

_Suddenly, it's black again. Kyp is gone from my arms and I'm alone. But only for a moment because in the blink of an eye, he's standing right in front of me, smug grin on his handsome face, dark eyes smoldering with sensuality. It's back during the early years of the Yuuzhan Vong war, when he first asked me to be his apprentice. Only in the dream it plays a bit differently._

_He smiles, takes a step forward, and offers a hand to me. "Be mine, Jaina," he says. Not 'be my apprentice', but, "Be **mine**."_

_I don't hesitate. I reach out and place my small hand in his, never taking my eyes away from him. He pulls me into his arms, snug against his strong chest, and my heart does that same little flip it always does around him. I look up at him and whisper, "I'm yours." Then he slides one of his hands behind my neck, pulling me in close for a tender, passionate, mind-blowing kiss. It seems so real…so amazing…and then he's gone again._

_I panic. I don't want to be alone anymore. It's too cold…too dark…so I call out for him._

"_Kyp? Kyp? Where are you? Please, Kyp, don't leave me here alone. I need you!"_

_Another cry sounds, only this time it is not the cry of an adult, but of a baby. A second shaft of light appears and I follow it since it seems to be guiding me to the cry. For some reason, I feel an urgent need to reach the baby, to comfort it and hold it in my arms. Suddenly, a crib appears in front of me. In front of it stands a man with his back to me, but, once again, I don't need to see the face. He picks up the baby and jiggles it in his arms to soothe its distress. I can hear him murmuring softly to the child._

"_Shhh. Shhh. There now. No more crying, sweetheart. Daddy's here."_

_The sniffling cry soon becomes a sweet baby giggle, and then he turns around and smiles brightly at me. _

"_Look, there's Mommy right now. Say, 'Hi, Mommy!'" and he takes the pudgy little hand in his and waves at me. I can't help but smile back as I look at Kyp and the chubby little cherub in his arms. I reach out and those tiny fingers reach for me. As I take the baby into my arms and feel Kyp's wrap around me, I'm filled with an amazing peace…an absolute knowledge that this is right…and not just right, but **necessary**._

And that is where it ends. Crazy it may be to trust a dream, but I was certain it was the Force trying to tell me what needed to be done. It is what finally convinced me to take action and make sure this all came to pass. Only I needed a little help on the particulars.

So, I sought the help of an expert.

Sort of.

* * *

I was feeling the need for some family time.

When you're having a stressful time of it, parents can sometimes ease the pain simply by treating you like you are still a little kid. So often they refuse to acknowledge your faults and insist on offering comfort any way they can, which often involves over-indulgence of some sort. Always good for a wounded ego or a broken heart.

And there was something else I needed.

Some advice.

Only I'd never let them know that's what I wanted. Force, no! I'd never hear the end of it.

I decided to take a few days off and go visit my parents. They were currently on Ossus while Mom was doing some work with the Jedi Academy. Mom was instantly suspicious of my arrival, but Dad, as usual, was blissfully ignorant.

Just how I wanted him.

"Hey, Dad."

Dad looked down from his squatting perch on top of the Falcon and smiled at me.

"Hey, sweetheart! I thought you were out with your mother."

"Yeah, well, I could only take so much more _mother-daughter_ time. I think she was on lecture number 237 when I left."

We exchanged a knowing smirk and he motioned me up. As soon as I finally climbed my way to the top of the Falcon, he gestured, "Hey, pull up a hydrospanner and have a seat." And I did. I knew my way around the Falcon almost as well as Dad. We had always shared a love for all things mechanical. It was one of the things he shared with me, and, because of it, I had always had a special connection with him that my brothers had not.

"We haven't done this for a long time, princess," he remarked as I settled into place next to him.

"I know. I kind of miss it sometimes," I answered wistfully. And I meant it. Instantly I felt like a little girl again, remembering all of the times he had spent time teaching me about his beloved ship, patiently standing by as I wired my first instrument panel. Even though Dad couldn't use the Force like a Jedi, he was still my biggest hero.

I handed him the tool and started studying his handiwork. We continued working side by side for some time, each knowing instinctively what we needed the other to do at any given time, and before we knew it, the Falcon's malfunctioning sensor array was once again in prime condition. Or what passed as prime condition for a hunk of junk like the Falcon.

Of course, I'd never call her that to Dad's face.

As we were cleaning up, Dad must have noticed my distant expression and unusual quietness. Usually with him, I was cutting up, telling jokes and sharing embarrassing stories about Mom and Jacen. But not tonight. He knew something was wrong. He could tell. And he didn't need the Force to figure it out.

"Something on your mind, Jaina? You've been awfully quiet tonight. You're starting to remind me of your brother," he added teasingly. Jedi philosophy, (I know because he expressed this sentiment upon many occasions) had always left him slightly in the dark. He usually left all of that mumbo-jumbo stuff to Luke and Jacen, but I know he'd never pegged me for being that type.

I smiled back at him, sensing the hint of worry he held inside for me, and wanted to reassure him that we were still okay.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'm not going to go off and try to _'find myself'_ like some others who shall remain nameless." At his obvious sign of relief, I chuckled and then immediately sobered. It was now or never.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

Dad was obviously stunned. It wasn't often that someone in our family actually asked him for anything. I could tell he felt a bit of pride that I had come to him instead of someone else, although I also noticed a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. He was probably wondering what I was about to say.

"Sure, sweetheart. Ask ahead."

I took a few seconds to decide on how to word my question without giving too much away. I wasn't quite certain how he would feel if I told him I was in love with Kyp Durron and wanted to find a way to make him see we should be together. No, Han Solo might not be too keen on helping his only daughter land a man. So I chose my words carefully.

"How did you know that Mom was _the one_?"

Not what he had expected, I could tell.

"Well, now, that's a loaded question." He leaned back on his elbows and started grinning that familiar lopsided grin of his. That's when I know whatever he's about to say is going to be good. I had heard about my mother and father's courtship from other people and even some from Mom, but had never heard it directly from him.

"I guess I knew she was the one when we first met on the Death Star. She called me _'flyboy'_ and ordered me into the garbage chute." I laughed, having never heard this version before, and a silly smile stretched across his face as he replayed their meeting in his mind. "Yeah, Leia was spunky all right. Then she told me I had to take orders from her and called Chewie a _walking carpet_. It was love at first sight, only it took a while to convince us both. She fought it, but finally love won out."

I snickered behind my hand, knowing he was avoiding one small part of the story. "Love won out, eh? I thought you kidnapped her when she nearly married Prince Isolder."

Smile—instantly gone from his face.

"Yeah, well, there's more to that little story than most people know," he remarked with a touch of irritation in his deep voice, shifting uneasily in his position.

"Like what?" I prodded. I wanted to know the whole story.

He stared at me for a moment, deciding whether to divulge the requested information, and finally caved.

"Well, for starters, I was under extreme pressure at that point in time. I'd just been gone for several months fighting that blowhard Zsinj, the whole time thinking only about getting back to your mother and finally settling down. All those years of fighting had left me exhausted, physically and mentally.

"Then, I get back only to find that that Hapan pretty boy Isolder is trying to snatch her away, and she's actually considering it! In fact, everyone is telling her it's a great idea--- except for Goldenrod, ironically."

I chuckled at the revelation, knowing the antagonistic relationship he and Threepio had always had together. Funny that the droid would be the only one on Dad's side.

"Jaina," Dad said, his voice sounding serious as he looked straight at me, "your mother was the most important person in my life. She still is. The thought that I might lose her was unbearable. So, I did what had to be done. Leia is the most compassionate person I know, and one of her faults is always putting others before herself, sometimes even the ones she loves. I knew that, knew that she was seriously thinking about marrying Mr. Perfect because she thought it would be a good alliance for the Republic. I couldn't let that happen…couldn't let what we'd built be thrown away so easily."

"So you won a planet in a game of sabaac and kidnapped her?" I asked playfully, only the look on Dad's face was not a playful one.

"Jaina, I did what was _absolutely necessary_."

He stated it with such conviction that it sent shivers down my spine, and in that instant I knew what had to be done about Kyp. My mind whirred with ideas as Dad continued on and I pretended to be listening attentively.

"Be thankful I did hijack your mom off to Dathomir or else you wouldn't be here, kid. You'd be living in the Hapes cluster with all the Ta'a Chume's of the galaxy. Instead, you're your old man's pride and joy." Then he threw an arm around me and squeezed me to his side.

"Thanks, Dad…for everything."

"There. See now? You're smiling just like your old self again."

And I was.

Enough of this _nice girl_ stuff.

It was time for some action.

* * *

So, after looking back over the last day, maybe seeking advice from my father was not the wisest move, but somehow at the time he had made perfect sense.

"Oh, _sith_!" I declared out loud. Suddenly, I remembered what was waiting for us when we landed…what I had _arranged_ to be waiting for us. True, I had borrowed the idea of kidnapping Kyp from my dad, but I had the privilege of learning from his mistakes. He should have had someone waiting on Dathomir ready to marry them as soon as they landed. Letting Mom have so long to mull things over was the wrong thing to do.

However, I took care of that little problem in my plan.

"Oh, sith!" What had I done? I felt like screaming again, but it gradually turned to the desire to do something else..._laugh_.

So I did...uncontrollably.

Force, I couldn't wait to land.


	11. Chapter 10

I just wanted to thank you for reading. It's so encouraging to read your comments and see that what I am enjoying as a writer is also being enjoyed by you readers. So, I'll dedicate this chapter to you!

* * *

Chapter 10—

* * *

My mind was wandering again.

I was supposed to be devising a plan of action for apprehending Dif Scaur once Jaina and I reached Nar Shaddaa. In front of me on the table were the beginnings of said plan, but it was nowhere near finished. Instead I found my mind recalling what I had somehow missed over the past hour or so… Jaina and I had _kissed_.

Not only had she kissed me when I first awoke on her ship, the _Jedi Sabre_, but we had kissed again later, too. Amazingly, when she and I argued, that fact had seemed to slip from my memory. And how that happened I'll never know. Having the time to ruminate on the actual events, my body began to remember just how enjoyable it was to have my lips on hers. I think I had even slid my hands around her waist, in her hair, and Force only knows where else. My lips tingled and my fingers itched to touch her again.

What was wrong with me? Was I really fool enough to have those kinds of feelings for Jaina again?

Then I remembered the part of our discussion when I told her she was spoiled and selfish. The look on her face when I told her all those things Li'andra said made me feel like an instant heel. But I didn't let her know that. And then when she told me I wasn't the man she thought I was, well, let's just say that I'm sure the look on my face matched the one on hers. That hurt! And I have tough skin, after surviving all of the public scrutiny over the years. However, hearing something like that from Jaina…it was like the worldship incident all over again. Out of all the people in the galaxy, she was the one person whose opinion of me mattered most.

And now I had ruined it all with my stupid mouth.

With a disgusted snort, I pushed away the printouts in front of me and slumped back in my chair. I wasn't going to accomplish anything until I made things right with Jaina. Losing her was not an option. Having her in my life… it was… _necessary_…**_absolutely_** necessary.

Hopefully, it wasn't too late to make amends and still be friends. Although part of me was secretly starting to want more, especially after those kisses. What exactly did they mean to her? And what about me? What did I really think of them? I wasn't ready to write them off as mistakes any more. She had initiated them, told me I was the one she wanted. Wanted to _what_? And _how_? And _when_? _Where_? _Here_? _Now_?

I really had to talk to her again. If she told me to get out of her cockpit this time, she was in for a fight. I braced myself and headed back to the cockpit.

When I reached the door, I paused to listen. Was she…_laughing_? I keyed the open panel and poked my head inside. "Jaina?" I said, announcing my return.

She stopped laughing, more or less, when she turned to look at me, wiping the tears from her eyes. What was so funny? I wanted in on the joke, too, but I doubted she would share anything with me right now.

She cleared her throat and tried to straighten up. "Kyp," she stated simply. "May I help you?" she asked facetiously. Surprisingly, she seemed to be in a good mood.

I narrowed my gaze and studied her as I made my way further inside. "Um, yes, you can. I, uh, think we should talk…about what happened earlier," I explained, trying to sound confident.

Now it was her turn to study me, and her stare made me uncomfortable. After a few seconds, she finally spoke. "Talk, eh? You mean we haven't done enough of that already? What more could you possibly have to say to me? Did you forget something else that little Li'andra poisoned your mind with?"

Ouch. _Touché_. "Okay. I deserved that," I admitted. "Jaina, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh, really," she muttered, crossing her arms across her chest, and cocking an eyebrow indignantly.

"Yes, really," I replied. "I shouldn't have said all those things. It was stupid of me." A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, encouraging me to continue. "You know how I sometimes act before I think, and it was just the heat of the moment. I don't believe what Li'andra said. I was just confused, you know. I mean, you trick me and then shoot me and then you kissed me and I---"

"Kyp?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you trying to say you're sorry?" she clarified taking a few steps closer. There went that itching in my hands again. I wanted to reach out and touch her…pull her close and plant my lips on top of hers again. I wondered what she would do this time?

"Um, yeah. I am," I answered, my heart speeding up as she drew nearer. Finally, she was only a few inches away, so close I could see all of the flecks of color that melded together to create her incredible, brown eyes.

She looked up at me from underneath those gorgeous lashes, ran her finger down my chest, and whispered, "Then just say it."

I swallowed hard. "Jaina, I'm sorry," I said, suddenly feeling very warm.

"_Good!"_ she exclaimed. Then she balled her fist and punched me hard in the stomach. "You should be!"

"Ow! That hurt, Jaina!" I managed to eek out trying to get my breath back.

"It was supposed to!" she yelled. "_Now_ we're even."

"Hey," I said standing up straight again, "I didn't _punch_ you!"

"No, but you really hurt me, Kyp. How could you believe those things about me? Especially coming from her? Can't you see that she hates me? She's jealous of what we have and is just evil enough to do anything to keep us apart."

"Keep us apart? What do you mean? Nothing could keep us apart, Jaina," I said.

That quieted her down. The frown left her face and was replaced by a softer, more hopeful expression. "Do you really mean that, Kyp?" she asked with a blush.

I reached out and took her hand. "Of course I mean it. You and me, we're like this," I explained, holding up the crossed fingers of my other hand.

"Good," she exclaimed with a relieved sigh. "Then you'll trust me to do the right thing for us, right?"

The _right thing_? What was she talking about?

"Please, Kyp," she pleaded. "Trust me." She looked right into my eyes and I couldn't look away. Right then I would have promised her anything.

"All right," I agreed. "I'll trust you."

"Great! Because we're here!"

My gaze turned to follow hers as we both looked out the viewport at the bustling, aerial capital of Bespin.

"_Cloud City_?" I asked, befuddled.

"Yep. Cloud City," she repeated. And when she turned to look at me again, the expression on her face was strangely frightening.

"You'd better sit down and strap in. We're about to land," she said with a grin and then moved to begin landing procedures.

I did as she said, still confused about why she was taking me here of all places. It was a bit out of the way from most other locales of importance and a long way from Nar Shaddaa. We would have to make quick time if we were to reach the Smuggler's Moon early enough to find Dif Scaur's contact.

"_This_ is where you were taking me?" I asked. She nodded without looking away from her navigation instruments. "May I ask _why_?" I ventured. I was extremely curious about her plans for me…and us.

"Nope," was all she said. Just then a voice from Cloud City's landing dock crackled over the comm and her attention was diverted. I would have to wait to get my answers, it appeared.

Within twenty minutes, she had skillfully landed the _Jedi Sabre_ in the crowded hangar bay. It was filled with star carriers being loaded with precious Tibanna gas, ready to be transported off-world to waiting consumers. Normally, we would have had to circle around for an hour or so before landing. How she had convinced them she could fit her ship right down in the middle of all of this was still a mystery to me. All I knew was she could be dangerously persuasive when she set her mind to it.

I checked the chrono and mentally calculated how much time it would take us to get to Nar Shaddaa from here. We would barely make it as long as we got refueled and out of here within a couple of hours. This was going to have to be a hasty visit.

Once I felt the mild thump of the landing repulsors, I unfastened my safety restraints and moved to exit the cockpit. Glancing over at Jaina, I noticed a nervous and almost expectant glint in her eyes.

"Everything okay?" I asked. "You know, if you're worried about making Nar Shaddaa on time, let me handle these fuel guys. Maybe a little mental persuasion will hurry them up a bit," I suggested, partly teasing to lighten the mood. My expertise in the art of mind control was legendary.

"I'm, uh, fine," she said unconvincingly. I frowned at her knowing she was lying, but we didn't have time to waste. I gestured for her to exit first out of the cockpit. On her way past me, she smiled briefly, took a deep breath and paused to say, "Just trust me." Then she walked out.

I followed her down the short corridor to the landing ramp. She was fidgeting with her fingers by her sides as we waited for the ramp to descend, and she refused to look at me. Before the ramp even touched the floor of the hangar bay, she was on her way down to greet a pair of droids. I saw her whisper something to one of them but only caught snatches of the conversation.

"…change of plans…won't need the room after all…"

She caught me listening and abruptly stopped, plastering a huge grin on her face.

"Everything okay?" I asked suspiciously. She nodded yes vigorously. Strange…

"Are you ready to begin?" one of the droids asked. It was a protocol droid similar to C3PO, only a much newer version, and it was gleaming in brilliant silver casings. An unfamiliar medallion was hanging around its neck, which probably denoted some type of rank, but I wasn't certain. The other was oval in shape, no legs or arms, and hovered beside the speaker. I assumed it was an assistant, if droids had assistants. It wouldn't surprise me. Not much did any more.

"Yeah," I replied. "We're in a bit of a hurry, so the quicker you can do this, the better."

"Of course, sir," the protocol droid responded in that same prissy accent all of them seemed to possess. "I understand your anticipation to complete this process as rapidly as possible. Let us begin. State your names, please."

"Jaina Solo," Jaina chimed in immediately, then looked to me as if urging me to hurry.

"Kyp Durron."

I noticed a small light shining from the smaller droid and decided it must be a holo-recorder, although I couldn't figure out why making refueling arrangements needed to be recorded. Must be some new security procedure.

"Birthdates and homeworlds, please," the droid prompted. I wrinkled my brow in confusion. This wasn't typical protocol, but before I could protest, Jaina piped up with her information. Force, she was still so young! Did I even remember my twenties? Did I _want_ to?

Again I surrendered the requested information, quickly growing impatient. Time was wasting and we had a would-be criminal to apprehend.

"Now then," the droid continued, "do you, Kyp Durron, agree to—" 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I interrupted. My patience was gone. "Look, could we skip all of this formality and just do what is absolutely necessary to get this done? We are in a very dire hurry to get some place else. Just give us the economy version, okay, buddy? Bare minimum. Got it?"

The protocol droid seemed befuddled for a moment. He glanced at Jaina, who looked just as surprised as the droid. Then she seemed to recover. "You heard the man. Make it short and sweet," she drawled, and when I saw that Solo grin, something inside me twitched in fear.

"Of course," the droid replied. "May I assume, sir, that your response was an acceptance of the terms?"

I nodded, which appeared to appease Mr. Protocol, so then he turned to Jaina.

"Do you, Jaina Solo---" he began.

_"Yes!"_ she exclaimed forcefully. "I do."

_Finally!_ Maybe now we would get the fuel we needed so we could get out of here and down to business.

"Then, by the power vested in me by the governing body of Cloud City of the world of Bespin…"

Good grief! Could he be any more formal? All of this for some _gas_!

"…I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Time froze. All sound and motion stopped as my puny mind tried to wrap itself around the words I had just heard. Was I in an alternate universe?

"What—what did you just say?" I stuttered in disbelief. "I could swear you just said Jaina and I were man and wife." Then I chuckled.

"That is correct, sir," the droid replied.

I wasn't laughing any more.

"What—what are saying? That we're really married?" I glanced at Jaina who was standing there looking totally innocent.

"Yes, sir. You and Miss Solo are now legally married." As if on cue, the smaller, hovering droid whirred and beeped and a sheet of flimsiplast shot out from a slot in its body. The protocol droid took the sheet and gave it to me. "Here is your official marriage document. A copy has already been sent to our city's main computer." Next a small data disk protruded from another slit on the small droid, which the larger one extracted and handed to Jaina. "This is your holorecording of the ceremony to keep for your own records. May you both experience many, many years of blessed matrimony and thank you for visiting Cloud City."

With that, the droid bowed reverently, then pivoted around on his heel and began walking away, the other one following closely behind. I glanced down at the paper in my hand, skimming over the words printed on it. Sure looked official.

Then I looked at Jaina. She hadn't said a word since, "I do." Oh, sith! She simply grinned and shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"This is a joke, right?" I asked uncertainly. I called after the departing droids. "You're kidding, right? I'm not…we're not really…." I mumbled glancing back to Jaina. "Are we?"

She nodded an affirmative.

"Aren't you going to kiss the bride?"


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11—

* * *

"Aren't you going to kiss the bride?" I asked facetiously, plastering an innocent grin on my face.

By the look of utter astonishment on Kyp's face, I could tell it had not fully registered with him that we had indeed just been officially joined in holy matrimony. Oh, this was just too delicious! I raised a hand to my mouth to stifle a laugh. He had made it _so_ easy! He had hurried the cleric droid along himself, oblivious to what was really happening. I could not have wished for a simpler go of things. It seemed the Force was with me on this one.

A chuckle escaped from behind my hand and I saw his expression change from disbelief to restrained fury.

"Stop laughing, Jaina," he demanded gruffly. "This isn't funny."

Of course that only made me laugh harder.

"Yes…it really is!" I replied, tears beginning to pool in my eyes.

The frown on his face would have scared the living daylights out of anyone else, but not me. It somehow gave me a sense of satisfaction to see him so upset. Was that wrong? Wrong to take pleasure in the fact that for the first time in two months I wasn't the one lost in a cloud of confusion, wondering if my life would ever fall into place?

"Jaina," he said firmly, "I'm being serious. Are we or aren't we actually married?" Then he thrust our marriage certificate under my nose indignantly.

I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of a hand and then stared boldly into his dangerous eyes. "Oh, you better believe we are!" I declared triumphantly. "And you made it so, _so_ easy," I added, drawing out the last part for emphasis. "I was afraid you would find out and stop it before we were finished, but I shouldn't have worried. You were the perfect bridegroom, darling," I said, batting my eyes.

He was seething. I could see his nostrils flare, his jaw muscles clench and unclench, and he was silent. I suddenly felt a flicker of uncertainty.

"You lied to me," he said quietly.

"Not really," I defended myself. "I just didn't tell you the whole truth."

"You manipulated me against my will—"

I interrupted him. "Hey, you're the one who ordered the 'economy version'…bare minimum, remember?"

"I thought I was arranging our refueling, **_not_** our wedding!" he exclaimed. He had lowered his face to within inches of mine and I could tell he was breathing harder.

He was actually angry. How dare he! I thought he might be a little resistant for about all of two seconds. But then I figured he would laugh about it and even accept it. Was being married to me such a horrible fate? Did he care about Li'andra more than I thought he did?

I stared back, my own anger beginning to swell.

"Manipulated you against your will, huh? _Lied_ to you? Well, you would know all about that, now, wouldn't you?" I spat, reminding him of a certain incident from years ago.

His confidence seemed to waver just a bit. "That—that was a long time ago, Jaina. You can't hold that against me. I—I thought we had already ironed that one out."

"Tell that to all of those innocent Vong you murdered on board that worldship," I muttered. I shouldn't have.

He backed off. "That's why you did this? To get back at me? To show me how it feels? I thought more of you than this, Jaina."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, get over it, Kyp. That's not why I did this."

He glanced at me, studying my expression until he was satisfied I was telling the truth. After a few moments, he spoke. "Then why?"

"You know why, Kyp."

He studied me some more and I thought I saw realization dawn in his eyes. "You're kidding me, right?" he finally said.

"Kidding you?" I said incredulously. Was he honestly so ignorant of my feelings? "No, I'm not kidding."

He snorted in disbelief. "So, you arranged all of this, the kidnapping, the wedding, just to keep me from Li'andra?"

"Li'andra!" I exclaimed contemptuously.

"Yes, Li'andra. Look, Jaina, I know you don't like her, but don't you think you could have just talked to me about this instead of going to such extremes?"

What an idiot!

"You think that I did all of this just to get you away from Li'andra?" I asked for clarification.

"Well, didn't you?" he replied smugly, thinking he had it all figured out. He was such an infuriating man.

"No!" I declared. "Well, kind of, but not totally," I tried to explain.

Kyp chuckled. He was calmed down now, but I was getting all worked up.

"This has nothing to do with that—that _tramp_! Or does it? Apparently, she's all that's on your mind. Maybe I should have left you to her. Maybe you two deserve each other. And maybe I just made the biggest mistake of my life!"

I finally stopped my tirade, and Kyp just stared. "So we _are_ really married?" he asked again.

I growled and did a little dance of frustration. "Yes, you moron! We're married, although right now I wish we weren't. Too bad we can't just go have it annulled. I would do it…_happily_."

"And why can't we annul it?" he said curiously.

"Legalities. Unfortunately, no marriage can be annulled until a period of thirty standard days has passed. I already checked into it before I—" I stopped for a moment deciding whether to continue. Why the sith not! "I checked into it before I decided to bring you here. It was one of the reasons I chose Cloud City. They said it's to give the couple a chance to reconcile and make a go of it. But once it's consummated---"

Kyp just kept staring at me making me even more self-conscious than I already was. I had to get away from him, or at least change the subject. Thinking about consummating anything with Kyp Durron was not a good idea at the present time.

"So, too bad, but you'll have to put up with me for at least another month, in name, at least."

I waited for him to speak, but again, nothing but staring.

"Anyway," I continued, "I'm going to get us refueled so we can take off and get to Nar Shaddaa." I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm and spun me back around.

"We have to talk about this, Jaina…figure out what to do," he said.

I yanked my arm away from him. "I'm going to get us refueled," I stated firmly, then I started walking again.

So much for my kiss.

* * *

All right…so maybe things had not gone quite so well after all.

I was still angry with Kyp. He wasn't cooperating like I wanted him to. Sure, he had eased the ceremonial hassle by hurrying the droid along, but now he was being an absolute jerk. Bringing _'her'_ up…on our **_wedding_** day! The nerve!

I fought to silence that little nagging voice in the back of my mind that kept bringing up the fact that I had indeed manipulated him just a bit. But the man left me no choice. I had to do it.

And now he wanted to undo it. Well, he was just going to have to wait. Even if we didn't stay married, at least he would have to take some time to think about his relationship with Li'andra. I was determined to make it as difficult as possible for him to get out of this situation. An old saying Uncle Luke told me years ago suddenly popped into my mind. _'Nothing great was ever achieved without a great deal of sweat.'_ He used it at the Jedi Academy when we used to train in the scorching Yavin heat. Now I would just adapt it fit my dilemma with Kyp.

I was not giving up.

After we were finally refueled, I headed back to the _Jedi Sabre_. I paused and gazed ahead at my ship gleaming brightly where it sat parked in the crowded bay. The realization of what I had done finally hit me like a ton of durasteel. I gulped and forced myself to keep walking, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of an angry Kyp waiting to meet me. However, he was nowhere in sight. Inwardly, I chuckled. Maybe he had hightailed it out of there and taken my advice to hitch a ride out of this place.

_But then who could blame him?_ There was that little voice again. So maybe **_I_** was the idiot. In my desperation to be with him, I had taken the gundaark by the horn and rushed headlong into a catastrophic mess. What had ever possessed me to arrange all of this? Was I losing my mind?

Hell, it was already gone. Now the problem was how to clean up this disaster.

A lump formed in my throat and I just knew I was going to cry. Sithspit! I loved him! It had taken me years to figure it out, but I knew it as sure as I knew I was the daughter of Han Solo. Kyp Durron and I were meant to be together. Even the Force knew it. So why had it all gone wrong? What do you do when you love someone but they don't love you back?

I forced down the uncomfortable lump as I neared the entrance ramp and regained my composure. Once inside my ship, I glanced quickly down the corridor. Still no sign of Kyp, so I made my way toward the cockpit to prepare for takeoff. I sensed him through the Force before I even entered. He was waiting for me…in _my_ chair.

"Jaina," he said, spinning the seat around to face me as I stepped into the small room. He looked cocked and ready to fire by the glint in his dark eyes and the firm set of his jaw. At that instant, I realized I needed to keep a cool head this time in order to retain control of the situation.

Deep breath.

"Kyp," I replied with an acknowledging nod. Then I began pushing buttons and checking controls. "We are now fueled up and ready to go," I announced, casting him a brief smile as I continued to work. "We'll be off to Nar Shaddaa in no time."

His eyes were boring holes into the back of my head, but I kept on working as calmly as I could. Through our fragile Force bond, I could tell he was wondering what in the world was going on in my mind. In a few moments, I heard him get up and move toward me, sensing that some of his tension had fortunately faded.

"Jaina," he said softly, his warm breath tickling my ear and sending a shiver down my spine. He had somehow slid right up behind me. I could feel the heat from his body and a mutual warmth started pooling in my stomach. I turned to look at him, surprised by the tenderness in his eyes. "We need to talk," he stated with gentle firmness.

I was expecting anger, not what I saw now. There he stood looking down at me with those soulful eyes, dark stubble covering his strong jaw, and that insanely thick hair mussed perfectly. My heart skipped a beat. Force! I wanted this man--- in every possible way imaginable…friend, colleague, husband, lover…_all_ of it…all of _him_.

"I know," I answered breathlessly, secretly wishing he would just pull into his arms and kiss me senseless. Instead, I fought back a blush and cleared my throat. "Let me get us out of here and into hyperspace. Then we'll talk."

He searched my face again sending my insides into flutters. Then he nodded and started to leave. As he passed me, he paused and gave me a little half smile. He lifted a hand toward my face as if he was going to touch me, but he hesitated and let it drop back to his side.

So close. My whole being ached for him and that lump returned as I watched him walk away.

Concentrating on flying the ship took my mind off of things for a while, but once the coordinates were set and we were hurtling through hyperspace towards Nar Shaddaa, my mind came right back to my predicament.

What a crazy ride my emotions had been taking for the past two days, not to mention the last two months! I had thought it would be simple. I would come back into Kyp's life, make sure I still wanted him, let him know how I felt and then we would live happily ever after just like in those silly fairy tales Threepio would tell Jacen, Anakin and I when we were kids.

Well, this was no fairy tale and no happy ending. I had really screwed things up. Guess it was time to face the music.

I took a deep breath and set off for his cabin. No time like the present, Mom always said. When I reached his room, I knocked lightly and waited for him to invite me in. Maybe if I tried to act more like a dignified woman he would go easier on me.

"Come in," he said.

He was leaning over a small table, datapads and flimsiplast spread across the top in front of him. He had the sleeves of his loose-fitting black shirt pushed up to his elbows and the top few buttons were undone. When he turned to look at me, his sensuality took my breath away.

"Hey," he said, leaving the table and striding over to me.

"Hey," I muttered in response. He gestured for me to sit on the edge of the bed and then he pulled up a chair to sit in front of me. Once he settled in, he asked if everything had gone okay in the cockpit. I told him things went fine and asked how he was coming along with our plan for Nar Shaddaa.

"That's not what I want to talk about," he said. Suddenly, he reached out and took my hands in his. "Jaina, I've been doing a lot of thinking since we got…_married_." It seemed difficult for him to even say the word. "Wow. That sounds strange," he added with a chuckle. "Listen, I shouldn't have reacted so angrily. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't, Kyp," I interrupted. "You had a right to be angry with me—"

"Let me finish," he continued. "I think I understand why you did it…sort of. We've been friends for a long time, been through a lot together. It's forged a connection between us that no one else can possibly comprehend."

This sounded promising. I nodded in agreement.

"Now, we're both getting older and what we want out of life is changing. You're at the point where you're maybe thinking about marriage and a family. And that's perfectly all right. You should want those things, Jaina. You're a wonderful woman with a lot to offer."

"Do you really think that, Kyp?" Hearing him say those words sent those flutters into overdrive.

He smiled handsomely and squeezed my hands. "You know I do," he admitted. "I've watched you grow up, seen you go from a cocky little tomboy to this beautiful, amazing woman sitting in front of me."

More flutters.

"The down side is that while you were getting older, so was I. Now when you're just beginning to start your life, I'm already past that phase. I know not to expect love and family. I've learned to be content with my life as it is. Yeah, it's a bit lonely sometimes, but that's okay. I'm used to being a loner."

I pulled my hands from his grasp. "What exactly are you saying, Kyp?" I didn't like the sudden negative turn this conversation had taken.

"Jaina, I'm not totally sure why you did what you did. I know you think you did the right thing. Maybe you were afraid of being alone, or felt you owed me something. Maybe you saw my life now and felt sorry for me. But whatever the reason, I can't let you do this. I can't let you ruin your life because of me. You deserveda hell of a lot more than I can give you. You need someone young who can give you what you need. Me? I'm too old, Jaina…too set in my ways."

I had heard enough. "How old are you anyway? _Eighty?_!"

"What?" he said, taken aback.

"You heard me. You're not even forty and you act like your life is over! It only is if you let it be," I explained. "And I never took you for a quitter, Kyp Durron."

"Jaina, don't---"

"No! I will!" I stopped him by standing up. "You honestly think I did all of this because I felt sorry for you or because I _owed _you something?"

He rose slowly to his feet, a wary expression on his guarded face.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I did it all because I actually _care_ about you? Maybe, I **_want _**to be married to you, even if you are a moron!"

His eyes were wide as he struggled to digest what I'd just said.

"Yes, Kyp, believe it or not, I actually even—_get t_his—**_love_** you, and not that platonic crap either. I'm talking the real stuff—the _'I-want-to-share-my-life-with-you'_ kind. The kind that makes me think about you every minute of the day and night. The kind that makes me want to touch you," I said, reaching out to lay a hand on his chest, "_all over_."

I heard him inhale sharply and felt his heart speed up underneath my palm. Boldly, I looked up into his eyes, daring him to look away.

"I thought maybe you felt the same way," I added hopefully. "We make a great team, you know."

It was a miracle. Kyp Durron was actually speechless. It seemed I had the upper hand at last. I put my other hand on his chest and slid them both up around his neck. Leaning up on my tiptoes, I moved nose to nose with him. "Why don't you think about it some more," I whispered seductively, "then we can talk again later." Before he could say a word, I pressed my lips to his mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. At first his lips were stiff from surpise, but he soon loosened up and started kissing back. In no time at all his hands slid around my waist and pulled me closer. My fingers found their way into that hair of his I'd been dying to plunge into and I heard him moan pleasurably. Before things went too far, I pulled away slowly, sliding my hands down and away from his strong chest. I stifled a smile when I felt him shudder and sigh.

"I'll be in my cabin when you're ready," I added suggestively. Then I left him wanting more.

I was taking a big risk…maybemaking an even bigger fool of myself than I already had. But it had to be done. Kyp never could back down from a challenge, and that's what I was counting on.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12—

* * *

"…_when you're ready…"_

Those three little words played over and over on a loop in my mind as I stood staring dumbfounded at the door Jaina had just exited. My legs felt like Lingardin granite. I couldn't move from that spot. My feeble brain was desperately scrabbling to make sense of all she had just said. Was I imagining things or had Jaina Solo just told me she _loved_ me?

Sure, Jaina sometimes had a wicked sense of humor and a mischievous streak, but I didn't think she was kidding about this. It was no joke. She was serious.

She loved me.

She wanted me.

And we were married.

My knees nearly buckled, so I quickly made my way to the bed and sat down to regain some kind of balance. A deep, full breath gushed into my lungs and I slowly exhaled, then repeated it three more times. This was unbelievable … crazy… insane. But despite all of the obstacles I had constructed to keep myself from falling for her, I could no longer deny that I wanted and needed Jaina in my life.

I loved her.

It was overwhelmingly liberating to finally admit it to myself. My heart raced as I contemplated what her confession and parting kiss were implying. She knew I couldn't resist a challenge. In fact, she probably knew me better than I knew myself. I absently licked my lips and groaned. I could still taste her sweetness there, proof enough of what I needed to do next. My mouth spread into a wide grin and an incredulous chuckle escaped my lips. I might have been a moron and a jerk, but I wasn't stupid. I sure hoped she meant what I thought she meant because we were married now.

And I was ready.

I stood up, the wobbliness completely gone from my legs, replaced with an inner strength fueled by all the penned up passion I had for this woman. If things went like I thought they would, my days of repressing my feelings for Jaina Solo were about to come to a screeching halt.

As I walked out of my room and headed toward hers, I couldn't seem to wipe a silly grin from my face. I stopped outside her door and ran a hand back through my unruly hair. Having a few gray hairs suddenly didn't seem to matter because at that moment I felt like some amorous youth sneaking off for a secret rendezvous with his girl.

_My_ girl. I liked the sound of that.

Reaching out in the Force, I could feel Jaina's fiery presence from within her room, could feel her waiting for me. She felt my touch and a spark of awareness shot up my spine and out to my extremities even before the door opened. A quick, impatient flick of my hand and the door slid out of my way allowing me to see what I came for.

My _wife_.

Jaina stood only a few feet in front of me. She had chucked off her flight jacket and boots, leaving her clothed in simple tan cargo pants and a tight-fitting sleeveless black tank top. Was she even aware of how sexy she looked without even trying? I didn't think so, and that made her all the more desirable.

We were frozen. Neither one of us moved or spoke out loud, but plenty was being said with our eyes. The electricity in the air between us sizzled, my blood rushed through my veins. I took a hesitant step forward and stopped, waiting to see if she would bolt or simply disappear like so many of my dreams before. But she didn't. Instead, she echoed my step with one of her own successfully sealing her own fate. That had been her last chance to stop what was about to happen…to escape my passionate clutches, and she knew it. I gazed into her dark brown eyes and saw that she was waiting for me to make the next move, to say something.

So I did.

"I'm ready to talk," I stated calmly, even though inside my body was ready to burst into flames. I covered the remaining distance between us in one long stride, cupped her face in my hands and claimed her lips in an urgent kiss. Her arms slipped around my waist and I felt her hands move up and down my back. My hungry mouth trailed kisses from her lips to her neck, behind her ear, onto her cheeks, her nose and back to where I started.

As we continued our 'discussion', I began guiding her toward the narrow bed. She sensed my intent and placed her hands on my chest to stop me. Our breathing was ragged, my body temperature hovering near the boiling point, and my hands slid around her waist. No way was she getting out of this one.

"What?" I asked hoarsely. "What's wrong?"

She caught her breath and looked deeply into my eyes. "If we do this," she said, glancing quickly at the bed and back to me, "there can be no annulment, you know. We can't turn back and pretend nothing's happened if we…if we—"

"Consummate our wedding vows?" I added for her with a devilish grin. Then I raised her hand to my lips and placed a tender kiss on her palm. She trembled, and I knew it was finally going to happen. All those hopes, dreams, and fantasies I'd had about Jaina over the years were mere seconds from becoming reality.

"Y-y-yes," she stammered, watching as I proceeded to kiss each and every one of her fingers without taking my eyes from hers. "Because if we really d-do this, then it will make the marriage b-b-binding. Oh, that feels good!" she moaned as I moved to nibble on her earlobe and inhaled the pure, feminine scent of her. In a moment, she seemed to recall what she'd just been talking about. "It will make it harder for you to get rid of me…legally, I mean, and—"

"Jaina," I whispered before giving her another passionate kiss. She looked up at me when I pulled away from her mouth, and I could tell from the glazed look in her eyes that she wanted this as much as I did. "Just shut up and let me make love to you. Okay?"

Her eyes widened and she didn't say anything—just nodded an okay before throwing her arms around my neck and jumping into my arms. The move took me off balance and landed both of us on the bed, which-- bless the sweet Force!-- was my destination to begin with.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

* * *

"Wow."

I tried to chuckle at Jaina's understatement, but I didn't have enough energy left. All of those dreams and fantasies?…_nothing_ compared to the reality of actually having her lying there in my arms. I turned my head so that I could look at her face flushed from all that _'talking'_.

"You _are_ a goddess," I said with a satisfied sigh. She rewarded me with a beautiful smile that sparkled in her gorgeous eyes. Then her smile curved and became that familiar Solo grin. "What?" I asked suspiciously, not knowing what was going to come out of her mouth next.

"You weren't so bad yourself-- for an _old man_," she quipped, propping herself up on an elbow so that she could smirk down at me.

"Hey, this old man can still get the job done, sweetheart," I replied, and then I pushed her silky hair back over a bare shoulder. I still couldn't believe that Jaina Solo was mine, in every sense of the word. I was afraid to blink, afraid she would simply disappear if I so much as looked away for a second, and so I kept my eyes locked on her, drinking in every single solitary detail of her face. It was a face already forever engraved in my mind, but being this close and under these circumstances offered me a whole new view.

Unfortunately, she noticed that my gaze had wandered to a _'whole new view'_ and smacked playfully at my chest with one hand as she pulled the sheet higher onto her body with the other. "Pervert," she said. Then I did laugh.

"Jaina, it's a little late to be self-conscious, don't you think? I mean, you did kidnap me, trick me into marrying you, and then seduce me into your bed." I placed my hands behind my head with a self-satisfied smirk and grinned up at the ceiling. "Wait till they hear about this!"

She smacked me again, a little harder this time. "Ow!" She started to do it again, but I caught her wrist and pulled her struggling form down on top of mine, pressing a kiss to her protesting lips…only she didn't protest too much. I let her go when I felt her start to melt into me. We had some serious talking to do now…real, actual speaking this time. Really.

Her mischievous grin was back and she practically glowed. "I wonder what the Council would think if they knew how ticklish you were?" Then she proceeded to terrorize the various locations she had discovered over the last few hours and I had to squirm around to fight her off.

Not a bad thing. But then we really did have some things to discuss.

"Jaina! Cut it out! We need to talk."

She ceased her torture of my ticklish spots and became instantly serious. "I know," she said, settling into a seated position next to me, the sheet arranged modestly around her. Her hair was mussed and she looked like a woman who had been thoroughly pleased, so it was going to take all of my will power to keep my hands to myself. But we honestly needed to discuss some things.

Namely, our marriage.

"Do you want to start or should I?" she asked.

Taking another glance at her bare legs sticking out from underneath the covers, I wisely decided I should start talking as soon as possible.

"I will." I paused to gather my thoughts and loved it when I noticed her gaze traveling over me. I stifled a grin and started to ask my questions.

"Who? What? When? Where? How? and Why?" I asked. "Yep. That about covers it."

"Care to be a bit more specific, Master Durron?" she said.

"Okay," I replied with a nod. "When exactly did you decide to do all of this?"

Jaina took a deep breath before she started explaining. "A few years ago, I—"

"A few years ago!" I interjected. "You've been planning this for a few years!"

"Not exactly but kind of. Will you let me talk?" she said in exasperation. "Thank you. A few years ago, I started to realize some things about my life. My relationship with Jag was going nowhere, so we called it quits. I looked at my mom and dad, Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara, and I noticed that they had something I didn't. Their lives were full because they had each other. The crazy thing was, every time I tried to imagine my life like theirs, you popped into my mind."

I snickered. "Yeah. I'm like that---a bad rash that keeps showing back up," I interrupted.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, letting me know she was playing along with my attempt at self-efficacy. Then she went on to explain how at first she wrote it off as guilt over not contacting me for so long, but then the thoughts of me kept coming on strong causing her to re-evaluate our relationship and what exactly I meant to her. After debating with herself and resisting for as long as she possibly could, she decided do come see me on Denon to find out if the feelings she was having were real or something she had imagined. Immediately after, Luke had asked her to come to Denon intending to offer her a seat on the Council. She paused her story and we both took a moment to quietly contemplate how the Force had worked it all out so seamlessly.

Except, of course, for the matter of Li'andra.

A slight look of disgust flashed on Jaina's face as she continued.

"I wasn't expecting her," she spat derisively with a snarl of her lips. "That first day I came to your office and she walked out on your arm, my heart dropped out the soles of my feet. I was devastated. She was so perfect with her perfect hair and her perfect clothes and her perfect boobs—"

I stifled a laugh. It was surreal hearing Jaina confess to being jealous over me. How many times had the tables been turned? How often had I been the one watching with jealousy as she gave her attention to another? Dare I tell her the countless instances I was left desperately longing for her, knowing she would never be mine? And yet, here she was…with me.

I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed it tenderly forcing her to stop talking and look at me. "Jaina," I said softly. "You're the one who's perfect—perfect for me. There's never been anyone who could take your place in my heart. It's always been yours and it always will be."

Her eyes softened. "What—what about Li'andra?" she asked, her unexpected vulnerability feeding my innate desire to be her protector.

"Li'andra _who_?" I whispered with what I hoped was a smoldering gaze. She rewarded me with a satisfied grin and another sweet kiss.

"Good answer," she drawled playfully.

I shifted around on the bed and pulled her into my arms, her head nestled neatly under my chin. She fit perfectly, like I always knew she would.

"So, why kidnap me? Why not just tell me how you felt?"

"Well, the kidnapping part was actually Dad's idea," she stated plainly. I pushed her away suddenly so I could see her face.

"_Han_ told you to kidnap me?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, not exactly. We were just talking one day and he told me the story about how he kidnapped Mom, and I don't know," she shrugged. "It just sounded like a good idea at the time. Besides," she added, a mischievous gleam in her eyes, "it worked, didn't it? I didn't hear any complaints." She stretched up to kiss my chin and I was instantly ready to lose myself in her all over again. My arms slid back around her and pulled her in against my chest.

"Nope. No complaints," I muttered, nuzzling my face into her Jaina-scented hair.

With a jolt, she jerked back clapping a hand to her forehead. "Oh! I almost forgot!" she declared. She jumped up and began a quick search for her discarded clothes, grabbing the first thing she found—my black shirt. I knew it couldn't possibly have looked so good on me. She slipped it on and hastily buttoned it halfway.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, the disappointment of her abandoning me evident in my pouting voice.

She made her way to a tiny drawer on her storage chest and pulled out a small wooden box. When she returned to the bed, a hesitant smile played on her face and my curiosity peaked.

"What's that?" I asked suspiciously as she sat down next to me.

"A wedding present," she stated shyly, handing me the box.

My mind began to spin. A wedding present? For me? At first I was shocked. Then I immediately felt horrible since I had nothing to give her. When we had left for this mission, I never thought in my wildest dreams that we would end up married. Then I had another thought. Had she been so sure of the outcome? So certain that I would consent to this crazy scheme of hers that she brought a present? Of course she was certain. This was Jaina and she knew me better than anyone else.

I studied the small box in my hand, admiring the fine craftsmanship of the carvings that covered the lid.

"Look inside," she urged, barely able to contain her excitement. I glanced up and saw her chewing her bottom lip, probably wondering what I would say or think about her gift. When I opened the box, I found two holograph cubes tucked inside. I slowly removed the dual set of metal squares and turned them over in my hand to locate the power button.

"I hope you like it," she confessed. Then I pressed the power button on the first one and felt my heart leap into my throat. The image which appeared in front of my eyes was one I had not seen in many years, since my childhood, in fact. I had to draw upon the Force to add stability to my trembling hands. Looking up into Jaina's face, it was obvious she was worried about how I would respond, and it took me a few moments to form words.

"My parents," I rasped out in a hoarse whisper. The faces of my long dead mother and father stared back at me from the small holographic image and a flood of emotions washed over my soul. I didn't have any mementos of my family. Once, years ago, I had returned to my home on Deyer, hoping to find something, anything that remained of my family. Unfortunately, the Empire had seen fit to leave only the charred remains of our once beautiful home, a visible warning to others who might speak out against the Emperor as my parents did. So I had contented myself with the memories I carried within me, proof enough that the Durrons did actually exist. "How did you get this?" I asked, still in shock and unable to take my eyes from their image.

"It wasn't easy," Jaina began to explain. "I called in a lot of favors, threw around some influential names, but it still took a while. Over a year, if you can believe it."

"A _year_?" My eyes immediately left the holo and went to Jaina. She had been searching for this precious gift for over a year? So I _had_ been on her mind for a while. The thought comforted me.

"Yes. I had several people helping me search, but nothing turned up until last week. It seemed the Imps liked to keep secret records of anyone who was against them. Guess your parents were pretty vocal about their opinion of Palpatine, eh? Do the other one," she suggested pointed at the cube lying dormant in the box.

Hesitantly I flicked off the holo of my parents and turned on the other one. A searing pain shot straight through my gut. "Zeth," I gasped. The image of my older brother dressed in Imperial military garb glowed above the small mechanism and the guilt and pain of his loss overwhelmed me. He hadn't gone willingly into service for the Empire, I recalled vividly. He simply had no other choice. They told him his only options were to join or watch his family die. So my strong, brave brother had joined the very people my parents were fighting against. The hardness showed in the set of his jaw and the steel of his eyes.

Jaina must have sensed how near the edge I was so she spoke up. "I finally tracked down some old Imperial military files. Even though Carida is gone," she said carefully, both of us knowing its demise was my fault, "the Imps luckily kept copies of everything at other locations. I—I hope it's okay," she ventured.

Me, I couldn't seem to speak, not one word, and it must have worried Jaina because she felt the need to keep talking.

"I thought you might like to have a reminder of your family, of where you came from. Dad never knew his parents, and Mom, well, her mother died young and her father was Darth Vader. Need I say more?" she added for levity. "The point being that they both have always said they wished they had some kind of link to their past, proof of who they are, even if it was only a picture to connect them to their family. But they didn't. And I—I wanted you to have that link. If there's one thing the war taught me is how important family is. Losing Anakin and Chewie and all those others took something from me that can never be replaced. But I can add new people to my life. Kyp," she said taking my hands in hers, "I want to be your family now, to start our own…together. What do you think?"

She was looking at me with those big brown eyes, hope radiating off of her in waves, and it was contagious. I could feel it swelling in my chest. Family. She wanted to be my family; something I hadn't figured would ever be present in my sorry life again. After all of the pain I had suffered, after all of the pain I had caused, did I even deserve this chance at happiness? I wanted to believe it was possible, but was almost too afraid to take the chance, certain it would all come crashing down around me as things so often tended to do.

And yet there she was, sitting right before me, a beacon of hope for my hardened heart. And I wanted her. I needed her. I loved her more than I ever thought I could love someone. She was gorgeous, strong-willed, passionate…and she was giving herself to me.

"I think," I said slowly as I pulled my hand from hers and set the holocubes back into their box, "I think that I love you, Jaina Solo." I leaned forward and brushed the side of her face with the back of my hand. "And I am going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much."


End file.
